this Epistle to haue bene written by any of the Apostles but haue also refused it all together as no Catholicke or godly epistle bicause of certaine textes written therin For first he sayth in the sixt it is impossible that they whiche were once lighted and haue tasted of the heauēly gift and were become partakers of the holye ghoste and haue tasted of the good worde of GOD and of the power of the worlde to come if they fall shoulde bee renewed agayne to repentaunce or conuersion And in the tenth it sayth if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull lookyng for iudgement and violent fyre whiche shall destroy the aduersaries And in the xij it saith that Esau found no way to repentaunce or conuersion no thoughe he sought it with teares Whiche textes say they sound that if a man sinne any more after he is once Baptised he can be no more forgeuen and that is contrary to all the Scripture and therefore to be refused to be Catholicke and godly Vnto whiche I aunswere if we should denye this Epistle for those textes sakes so should we deny first Mathew which in his xij Chapter affirmeth that he which blasphemeth the holy Ghost shall neither be forgiuen here nor in the world to come And then Marke which in his thyrd Chapiter sayth that he that blasphemeth the holy Ghost shal neuer haue forgiuenesse but shal be in daunger of eternall damnation And thirdly Luke which saith there shall be no remission to him that blasphemeth the spirite of God Moreouer Iohn in his first Epistle saith there is a sinne vnto death for which a man should not pray And ij Pet. ij saith if a man be fled from the vncleanesse of the world through the knowledge of our Sauiour Iesus Christ and then be wrapt in agayne his ende is worse then the beginnyng and that it had better for him neuer to haue knowen the truth And Paule ij Ti. iij. curseth Alexander the Copper-smith desiring the lord to reward him accordyng to his deedes Whiche is a signe that either y t Epistle should not be good or that Alexander had sinned past forgiuenesse no more to be prayed for Wherfore seyng no Scripture is of priuate interpretation but must be expounded accordyng to the generall Articles of our fayth and agreable to other open and euident textes confirmed or compared to lyke sentences why should we not vnderstand these places with like reuerēce as we do the other namely when all the remnaunt of the Epistle is so godly of so great learnyng The first place in the vj. Chapiter will no more then that they whiche know the truth and yet willingly refuse the light and chuse rather to dwell in darkenes and refuse Christ make a mocke of him as y ◠Pharisies which whē they were ouercome with Scripture miracles y ◠Christ was the very Messias yet had they such lust in iniquitie that they forsoke him persecuted him slewe him and did all the shame that could be imagined to him can not bee renued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sayth the Greeke to be conuerted that is to say such malicious vnkyndnesse which is none other then the blasphemyng of the holy Ghost deserueth that the spirite shall neuer come more at them to conuerte them whiche I beleue to be as true as any other text in all the Scripture And what is ment by that place in the tenth Chapter where he sayth if we sinne willingly after we haue receiued y t knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinne is declared immediatly after For he maketh a comparison betwene Moses and Christ saying if he which despised Moses law dyed without mercy how much worse punishment is he worthy of that treadeth the sonne of God vnderfoote and counteth the bloud of the couenaunt by whiche bloud he was sanctified as an vnholy thyng blasphemeth the spirite of grace By which wordes it is manifest that he meaneth none other by the fore wordes then the sinne of blasphemy of the spirite For them that sinne of ignoraunce or infirmitie there is remedy but for him that knoweth the truthe and yet willingly yeldeth him selfe to sinne consenteth vnto the lyfe of sinne with soule and body had rather lye in sin then haue his poysoned nature healed by the helpe of the spirite of grace and maliciously persecuteth the truth for him I say there is no remedy the way to mercy is locked vp and the spirite is taken from him for his vnthankefulnesse sake no more to be geuen him Truthe it is if a mā can turne to God and beleue in Christ he must be forgiuen how deepe soeuer he hath sinned but that wil not be without the spirite and such blasphemers shall no more haue the spirite offred them Let euery man therefore feare God and beware that he yeld not him self to serue sinne but how oft soeuer he sinne let him be gyn agayne and fight a freshe and no doubt he shal at the last ouercome and in the meane tyme yet be vnder mercy for Christes sake because his hart worketh and would fayne be loused from vnder the bondage of sinne And there it sayth in the. xij Esau founde no way 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bee conuerted and reconciled vnto God and restored vnto his byrth right agayn though he sought it with teares that text must haue a spirituall eye For Esau in sellyng his byrthright despised not onely that temporall promotion that he should haue bene Lord ouer all his brethren and kyng of that countrey but he also refused the grace and mercy of GOD and the spirituall blessyng of Abrahā and Isaac and all y t mercy that is promised vs in Christ which should haue bene his seede Of this ye see that this Epistle ought no more to be refused for holy godly and Catholicke then the other autentike Scriptures Now therfore to come to our purpose agayne though this Epistle as it sayth in the sixt lay not the grounde of the fayth of Christ yet it buildeth cunnyngly thereon pure gold siluer and precious stones proueth the Priesthode of Christ with Scriptures ineuitable Moreouer there is no worke in all the Scripture that so playnly declareth the meanyng and significatiōs of the sacrifices ceremonies and figures of the old Testament as this Epistle in so much that if wilful blindnes malicious malice were not the cause this Epistle onely were enoughe to wede out of the hartes of the papistes that cankred heresie of iustifiyng of workes cōcernyng our Sacraments ceremonies and all maner traditions of their owne inuention And finally in that ye see in the tenth that he had bene in bondes and prison for Christes sake in y t he so mightely driueth all to Christ to be saued thorough him and so cared for the flocke of Christ that he both wrote and
How many are there of the same sort which thou cāst not make beleue that a thousand thinges are sin which God damneth for sinne all the scripture throughout As to bye as good cheepe as he can and to sell as deare as he can to rayse the market of corne and victuale for his owne vauntage without respect of his neighbor or of the poore of the common wealth and such like Moreouer how many hundred thousandes are there which when they haue sinned knowledge their sinnes yet trust in a balde ceremony or in a lowsy Fryers coate and merites or in the prayers of them that deuoure widowes houses and eateth the poore out of house and harbour in a thyng of hys owne imagination in a foolishe dreame and a false vision not in Christes bloud and in the truth that God hath sworne All these are faythlesse for they follow their owne righteousnes and are disobediēt vnto all maner righteousnes of God both vnto the righteousnes of Gods lawe wherewith he damneth all our deedes for though some of them see their sins for feare of payne yet had they rather that such deedes were no sinne and also vnto the righteousnes of the truth of God in his promises whereby he saueth all that repent and beleue them For though they beleue that Christ dyed yet beleue they not that he dyed for their sinnes and that hys death is a sufficient satisfaction for their sinnes and that God for hys sake will be a father vnto them and geue them power to resist sinne Paule sayth to the Romaynes in the x. chap. if thou confesse wyth thy mouth that Iesus is the Lord and beleue wyth thine hart that God raysed hym vp from death thou shalt be safe That is if thou beleue he raysed hym vp againe for thy saluation Many beleue that God is riche and almighty but not vnto themselues and that he he will be good vnto them and defend them and be their God Pharao for payne of the plague was compelled to confesse hys sinnes but had yet no power to submit hymselfe vnto y t will of God and to let the children of Israell goe and to loose so great profit for Gods pleasure As our Prelates confesse their sinnes saying though we be neuer so euill yet haue we the power And agayne the Scribes and the Pharises say they sate in Moyses seate do as they teach but not as they do thus confesse they that they are abhominable But to the second I aunswere if they sate on Christes sear they would preach Christes doctrine now preach they their owne traditions and therefore not to be heard If they preached Christ we ought to heare them though they were neuer so abhominable as they of themselues confesse and haue yet no power to amende neither to let loose Christes flocke to serue God in the spirit which they holde captiue compelling them to serue their false lyes The deuils felt the power of Christ and were cōpelled against their willes to confesse that he was the sonne of God but had no power to be contēt therewith neither to consent vnto the ordinaunce eternall councell of the euerlasting God as our Prelates feele the power of God agaynst them but yet haue no grace to geue roome vnto Christ because that they as the deuils nature is will themselues sitte in hys holy temple that is to witte the consciences of men ¶ Simon Magus beleued Acts. 8. with such a fayth as the deuils confessed Christ but had no right fayth as thou seest in the sayd chapter For he repented not consenting vnto the lawe of God Neither beleued the promises or longed for them but wondred onely at y ◠myracles which Philip wrought and because tha◠he himselfe in Philips presence had no power to vse his witchcrafte sorcery and arte magike wherewith he mocked deluded the wittes of y t people He would haue bought the gifte of God to haue solde it much dearer as his successours now do and not the successours of Simon Peter For were they Simon Peters successours they would preach Christ as he did but they are Simon Magus his successours of which Simō Peter well proued in y t secōd chapter of hys second epistle saying there were false Prophetes among the people meaning of the Iewes euen as there shal be false teachers or doctours among you which priuely shall bring in sectes damnable sectes is part taking as one holdeth of Fraunces another of Dominyck which thyng also Paule rebuketh 1. Corin. 1. and 3. euē denying the Lord that bought them for they will not be saued by Christ neyther suffer any man to preach hym to other And many shall follow their damnable wayes thou wilt say shall God suffer so many to goe out of the right wayes so long I aunswere many must folow their damnable wayes or els must Peter be a false Prophet by which the way of truth shal be euill spoken of as it is now at this present tyme for it is heresy to preach the truth and through couetousnes shall they wyth fayned wordes make merchaundise of you of their merchaundise and couetousnes it needeth not to make rehearsall for they that be blinde see it euidently Thus seest thou that Iames when he sayth faith without deedes is dead and as the body without the spirite is dead so is fayth without deedes and the deuils beleue that he meaneth not of the fayth trust that we haue in the truthe of Gods promises and his holy Testament made vnto vs in Christes bloud whiche fayth foloweth repentaunce and the consent of the hart vn-the lawe of God and maketh a man safe and setteth him at peace with god But speaketh of that false opinion and imagination wherewith some say I beleue that Christ was borne of a virgine and that he dyed and so forth That beleue they veryly and so strōgly that they are ready to slay who soeuer would say the contrary But they beleue not that Christ dyed for their sinnes and that his death hath peased the wrath of God and hath obtained for them all that God hath promised in the Scripture For how can they beleue that Christ dyed for their sinnes and that he is their onely and sufficiēt Sauiour seyng that they seeke other Sauiours of their owne imagination seyng that they feele not their sinnes neither repent except that some repent as I aboue sayd for feare of payne but for no loue nor consent vnto the law of god nor lōging that they haue for those good promises which he hath made them in Christes bloud If they repented and loued the lawe of God and longed for that helpe whiche God hath promised to giue to all that call on hym for Christes sake then veryly must Gods truth giue them power strength to do good workes when so euer occasion were giuen either must God be a false God But let God be true and euery
and he will therto consider our mekenes and what soeuer chaunceth neuer taketh away hys mercy till we cast of the yoke of our profession first and runne away with vtter defiaunce that we will neuer come more at schole Then our stubburne and hard hartes mollifie waxe soft and in the confidēce and hope that we haue in Christ and his kindnes we go to God boldly as vnto our father and receaue life that is to say loue vnto God and vnto the law also That whiche we haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that ye may haue felowshyppe with vs and that our felowshyppe may be with the father and with his sonne Iesus Christ And these thynges we write vnto you that your ioye may be full To bryng vnto the felowshyp of God and Christ and of them that beleue in Christ is the finall intent of all the Scripture why it was giuen of God vnto man and the onely thyng which all true preachers seke wherby ye shall euer know and discerne the true word of God from all false and counterfayted doctrine of vayne traditions the true preacher from the wylie hypocrite We preache vnto you sayth Iohn y t euerlastyng lyfe which we haue heard and in hearyng receaued through fayth and are sure of it to draw you to vs out of the felowshyp that ye haue with the damned deuils in sinnefull lustes and ignoraunce of God for we seeke you and not yours as sayth Paul ij Cor. xij We loue you as our selues in God therfore wold haue you felowes and equall with vs build you vpon the foundation layd of the Apostles and Prophetes which is Christ ▪ Iesus and make you of the houshold of God for euer that ye and we felowes and brethren and coupled together in one spirit in one fayth and in one hope might haue our felowship thereby with God and become his sonnes heyres with Iesus Christ beyng his brethren and coheyres and to make your ioy ful through that glad tydinges as the aungell sayd vnto the shepheardes Luke ij Behold I shew you great ioye that shal be vnto all the people how that there is a Sauiour borne vnto you this day whiche is Christ the Lord. And these tydinges we bryng you with the worde of God onely which we receaued of his spirit and out of the mouth of his sonne as true messengers We preach not our selues but Christ our Lord and vs your seruauntes for hys sake we do not loue our selues to seke yours vnto vs that after we had with wiles robbed you of all ye haue we should exalte our selues ouer you separate our selues frō you and make our selues a seuerall kyngdome free and frāke raygnyng ouer you as heathen tyrauntes holdyng you in bondage to serue our lucre and lustes tanglyng your conscience with doctrine of man whiche draweth from God and Christ and fearing you with the bugge of excommunication agaynste Gods word Or if that serued not shakyng a sword at you And this is the tydinges whiche we haue heard of hym and declare vnto you that God is lyght and in hym is no darknes at all If we say that we haue felowshyp with hym and yet walke in darkenes we lye and do not the truth But and if we walke in light as he is in light then haue we felowshyp together and the bloud of Christ his sonne clenseth vs from all sinne As the deuill is darknes and lyes so is God light and truth onely and there is no darknes of falshead consentyng to wickednes in hym And the brightnes of his light is his word and doctrine as the. C. and. xix Psalme sayth Thy worde is a lanterne vnto my feete a light to my pathes And Christe is the light that lightneth all men And the Apostles are called the light of the world because of the doctrine And all that knowe truth are light Ye were once darkenes sayth Paule Ephes v. but now light in the Lord walke therfore as the children of lyght And good workes are called the frutes of light And all that lyue in ignoraūce are called darknes as he sayth afterward he that hateth his brother walketh in darknes For if the light of the glorious Gospell of Christe dyd shyne in his hart he could not hate his brother By walking vnderstande consenting doing and working If then we walke in darcknes that is consent and worke wickednes and say we haue felowship with God we ly For to haue felowship with him is to knowe and consent and professe his doctrine in our hartes Now if the commaundementes of GOD bee written in our hartes our members can not but practise thē shew the fruite So whether light or darknes be in the hart it will appeare in y t walking For though our members be neuer so dead vnto vertue yet if our soules knowledge the truth consent vnto righteousnes we haue the sprite of life in vs. And Paule sayth Rom. viij If the spirite of him y t raysed vp Iesus from death be in you thē wil he y t raised vp Iesus frō death quicken your mortall bodies by the reasō of the spirit that dwelleth in you So that it is not possible for him that knoweth the truth consenteth thereto to continue in sinne And then finally if we haue the light in our harts and walke therein then we haue fellowship with God and are his sonnes and heires and are purged from all sinne through Christes bloud If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and trueth is not in vs. If we think there is no sinne in vs we are beguiled and blinde and the light of Gods word is not in vs and eyther folow sinne as beastes without consciēce at all Or if we see the grosse sinnes as murther theft and adultery yet we haue hanged a vayle of false gloses vpon Moses face and see not the brightnes of the law how that it requireth of vs as pure an hart to God and as great loue vnto our neighbours as was in our sauiour Iesus ceaseth not before to condemne vs as sinners If we knowledge our sinnes he is faythfull and iust to forgeeue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrigh teousnes If we confesse our sinnes not in the preistes eare though that tradition restored vnto the right vse were not dānable but in our hartes to God with true repentaunce and fast beleife then is he faythfull to forgeue and to purge vs because of his mercifull truth and promise For he promised Abraham that in his seede all the worlde should be blessed from the curse of sinne And hath aboundantly renued his euerlasting mercy vnto vs in the new testament promising that our sinnes shall be forgeuen vs in Christes bloud if we repent and trust thereto If we say we haue not sinned we make him a lyer and hys woord is not in vs. For his
own of the which neuer lay man was partaker and with which they turne the end of all appointments vnto their owne honour and profite Couetousnes hath taught theÌ„ to bring in damnable sectes according vnto the prophecy of Peter and to corrupt the Scripture with false gloses to turne euery good ordinaunce that had a vertuous begynnyng vnto vicious ende The promocioÌ„s of the spiritualtie corrupt their mindes while they be yet in the shel and vnhatthed For they come thether but for couetousnes and to auoyd the crosse of Christ in the world except them that be compelled of theyr frendes or be so simple that they mark not their falshode beforehande Who knowing the truth louing it would put his head in the popes halter that so moseleth mens mouthes that they can not open them to defend any truthe at all When the temporall kinges were in their hye authoritie then the generall Counsell repressed the enormities of the spiritualtie But since the Pope cardinals and bishops were exalted the emperour and kings became their seruauntes they would suffer nought to be determined in their counsels that should reforme the worlde of their demilish pride insatiable couetousnes stincking lechery which may stand w t no godly vertue But the world which is not of God shall at the last haue an end with confusion and they onely abide that do y e will of the Father which will is that we beleeue in the Sonne and loue one an other Let them therfore that haue y e worlds good I might say the worldes God vse it but not loue it that they may be ready to bestow it at the pleasure of God And let them which haue it not desire it not for it blindeth the eyes of the seeing Seut 1â— But let them put their trust in God which shal not fayle them nor leaue them destitute of rayment and foode which Paule counselleth to be content with The ritch as Iames sayth persecute the true beleuers The 〈…〉 neuer stand forth openly for the 〈◊〉 of God If of x. thousand there 〈◊〉 Nichodemus it is 〈◊〉 great thing Little children it is now the last houre and as ye haue heard that Antichrist shoulde come euen so now are many Antichristes come already whereby we know that it is the last houre They went out of vs but were none of vs for had they bene of vs they had continued with vs. But that fortuned that it might appeare how they were not all of vs. Houre is here taken for tyme the last houre is as much to say as the last tyme. Though the Apostles might not know when the last day shal be how long the world should endure yet this was shewed them and vs by theÌ„ that Antichrist should first come not onely come but also prenayle and be receaued after a worldly maner and raigne ouer all and set vp a long continuyng kyngdome with damnable sectes and wonderfull kyndes of hypocrisie that is to say falshead cloked vnder a contrary pretence as testifieth Paule and also Peter Whiche Antichrist began with the Apostles and sue his doctrine among the doctrine of the Apostles preachyng many thynges as the Apostles dyd and addyng euer somwhat of his owne that the weeds might euer grow vp together with the corne Of which Iohn gathered a signe that the last day drew nye though he could not be sure how long it were therto Antichrist is one of the first that seeth the light and commeth and preacheth Christ a while and seeketh his glory in Christes Gospell But when hee eâ—pyeth that there will no glory cleane vnto that preachyng theÌ„ he getteth him to the coÌ„trary partie and professeth hym selfe an open enemy if hee can not disguise him selfe and hide the angle of his poysoned heresie vnder a bayte of true doctrine The Apostles were cleare eyed and espied Antichrist at once and put hym to flight and weeded out his doctrine quickly But wheÌ„ charitie waxed cold and the preachers began to seke them selues and to admit glory and honour of riches then Antichrist disguised him selfe after the fashion of a true Apostle and preached Christ wylyly bryngyng in now this tradition and now that to darkeÌ„ the doctrine of Christ and set vp innumerable ceremonies and Sacramentes and imagerie giuyng them significations at the first but at the last the significations layd a part preached the worke as an holy deede to iustifie and to put away sinne and to saue the soule that men should put their trust in woorkes in whatsoeuer was vnto his glory and profite and vnder the name of Christ ministred Christ out of all together and became head of the coÌ„gregation him selfe The Pope made a law of hys owne to rule his church by and put Christes out of the way All the Byshops swere vnto the Pope and all Curates vnto the Byshops but all forswere Christ and his doctrine But seing Iohn tooke a signe of the last day that he saw Antichrist begyn how nye ought we to thinke that it is whiche after viij hundreth yeares raignyng in prosperitie see it decay agayne and his falshead to be disclosed and him to be slayne with the spirite of the mouth of Christ that is with that old doctrine that proceded out of Christes mouth for Paule sayth wheÌ„ Antichrist is vttered theÌ„ commeth the end But ye haue anoyntyng of that holy and knowe all thyng I write not vnto you as though ye knewe not the truth but as vnto them that know it and how that no lye is of truth Christ in the Scripture is called the holy because he onely sanctifieth haloweth vs. And he is called Christ that is to say annoynted because he annoynteth our soules with y e holy ghost and with all the giftes of the same Ye are not annoynted with oyle in your bodyes but with the spirite of Christ in your soules which spirite teacheth you all truth in Christ and maketh you to iudge what is a lye and what truth and to know Christ from Antichrist For except he taught your soules with in the powring in of woordes at your cares were in vayne For they must be all taught of God Iohn vj. And the thyngs of God no man knoweth saue the spirite of God and the carnall man knoweth not the thinges of the spirite of God when contrary the spirituall that is annointed with the spirite iudgeth all thynges i. Cor. ij And therfore we are forbidden to call vs any Master vpon earth Math. xxiij seyng we haue all one Master now in heauen which onely teacheth vs with his spirite though by the administration and office of a faithfull preacher Whiche preacher yet can not make hys preachyng spryng in the hart no more then a sower can make his corne grow nor can say this man shall receaue and this not but soweth the word onely committeth the growyng to God whose spirite bretheth where
worke And that Christ hath done this seruice in his flesh deny all the members of Antichrist And hereby thou shalt know them All doctrine that buildeth thee vpon Christ to put thy trust and confidence in his bloud is of God and true doctrine And all doctrine that withdraweth thyne hope and trust froÌ„ Christ is of the deuill and the doctrine of Antichrist Examine y â— Pope by this rule and thou shalt finde that all hee doth is to the destructioÌ„ of this article He wresteth all the Scriptures setteth them cleane agaynst the woll to destroy this article He ministreth the very Sacramentes of Christ vnto the destruction of this article and so doth he all other ceremonies and his absolution penaunce purgatorie dispensations pardoÌ„s vowes with all disguisings The Pope preacheth that Christ is come to do away sinnes yet not in the flesh but in water salt oyle caÌ„dles bowes asshes friers coates and monkes cowles and in the vowes of theÌ„ that forâ—were matrunonie to keepe whores and swere beggerie to possesse all the treasure riches wealth pleasures of the world and haue vowed obedience to disobey with authoritie all the lawes both of God and man For in these hypocritish and false sacrifices teacheth he vs to trust for the forgiuenes of sinnes not in Christes flesh Ye are of God litle childreÌ„ and haue ouercome them For greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world He that dwelleth in you and worketh in you through fayth is greater then he whiche dwelleth and worketh in them through vnbelefe And in hys strength ye abyde by your profession and coÌ„fesse your Lord Iesus how that he is come in the flesh and hath purged the sinne of all that beleue in his flesh And through that fayth ye ouercome them in the very tormentes of death So that neither their iugglinges neither their pleasures neither their thretnynges or their tormentes or the very death wherewith they slay your bodies can preuayle agaynst you They be of the world and therfore they speake of the world and the world atteÌ„deth vnto them We bee of God and hee that knoweth God heareth vs. And he that is not of God heareth vs not And hereby we know the spirit of truth and the spirite of errour There be and euer shal be two generations in the world one of the deuill which naturally hearken vnto the false Apostles of the deuill because they speake so agreable vnto their naturall complection And an other of God which hearken vnto the true Apostles of God consent vnto their doctrine And this is a sure rule to indge spirites with all that we indge them to haue the spirite of truth which hearkeÌ„ vnto y t true doctrine of Christes Apostles them to haue the spirite of errour which hearken vnto worldly and deuilish doctrine abhorryng the preathing of the Apostles And looke hether the Popes doctrine bee worldly or no if pride and couetousnes be worldly yea and secherie to For what other is all his doctrine then of benefices promotions dignities byshoprikes cardinallshyps vicarages parsonages prebendes chaunge of bishoprikes and resignyng of benefices of vnions pluralities totquots and that which coÌ„meth once into their handes may not out agayn yea and of whores and concubines and of captiuyng of consciences for couetousnes all that hearken to that doctrine abhorre the doctrine of the Apostles and persecute it and them that preach it Dearely beloued let vs loue one an other for loue is of God And all that loue are borne of God and knowe God And he that loueth not knoweth not God for God is loue Iohn singeth his old song agayne and teacheth an infallible and sure token which we may see and feele at our fingers endes and therby be out of all doubt that our fayth is vnfayned and that we knowe God and be borne of God and that we hearkeÌ„ vnto the doctrine of the Apostles purely and godly not of any curiositie to seke glorie and honour therein vnto our selues to make a cloke therof to couer our couetousnes and filthy lustes Whiche token is if we loue one an other For the loue of a mans neighbour vnfaynedly spryngeth out of the vnfayned knowledge of God in Christes bloud By which knowledge we be borne of God loue God and our neighbours for his sake And so he that loueth hys neighbour vnfaynedly is sure of him selfe that he knoweth God and is of God vnfaynedly And contrarywise he that loueth not knoweth not God For God in Christes bloud is such a loue that if a man saw it it were impossible that he should not breake out into the loue of God agayne of his neighbour for his sake Herein appeared the loue of God vnto vs warde because God seÌ„t his onely sonne into the world that we should liue through hym Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent hys sonne a satisfaction for our synnes If a man had once felt within in his conscience the fierce wrath of God towarde sinners and the terrible most cruell damnation that the law threatneth and then beheld with the eyes of a strong fayth the mercy fauour and grace the takyng away of the damnation of the law and restoryng agayne of life frely offred vs in Christs bloud he should perceaue loue and so much the more that it was shewed vs when we were sinners and enemies to God Roma 5. and that without all deseruyngs without our endeuouryng enforcyng and preparyng our selues and without all good motions qualities properties of our frewill But when our hartes were as dead vnto all good workyng as the meÌ„bers of him whose soule is departed whiche thyng to proue and to stoppe the blasphemous mouthes of all our aduersaries I will of innumerable textes rehearse one in the beginnyng of the second chapter to the Ephes where Paule sayth thus Ye were dead in trespasse sinne in which ye walked accordyng to the course of the world and after the gouernour that ruleth in the ayre the spirite that worketh in the children of vnbelefe amoÌ„g which we also had our conuersation in tyme past in the lustes of our flesh and fulfilled the lustes of the fleshe and of the mynde so that the fleshe and the mynde were agreed both to sinne and the mynde consented as well as the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath as well as other But God beyng rich in mercy through the great loue wherwith he loued vs euen wheÌ„ we were dead in sinne hath quickened vs with Christ for by grace are ye saued and with hym hath raysed vs vp and with him hath made vs sit in heauenly thynges through Iesus Christ for to shew in tyme to come the exceding riches of his grace in kyndnes to vs ward in Iesus Christ For by grace are ye saued through fayth that not of your selues for
When they sent to Iohn asking him whether he were Christ he denied it When they asked him what he was and what he sayd of himselfe he aunswered not I am he that watcheth prayeth drinketh no wine nor strong drinke eateth neyther fishe nor fleshe but liue wyth wilde hony and Grashoppers and weare a coate of camels heare and a gyrdle of a skinne but sayd I am a voyce of a cryar My voyce onely pertaineth to you Those outward things which ye wonder at pertayne to my selfe onely vnto the taming of my bodye To you am I a voyce onely and that which I preach My preaching if it be receaued into a penitent or repenting hart shall teach you how to liue and please God according as God shall shed out his grace on euery man Iohn preached repentaunce saying prepare y ◠Lordes way and make his pathes straight The Lordes way is repentaunce and not hipocrisy of mans imagination inuention It is not possible y t the Lord Christ should come to a man except he know himselfe and his sinne truely repent Make his pathes straight the pathes are the lawe if thou vnderstād it a right as God hath geuen it Christ sayth in the xvij of Mat. Helias shall first come that is shall come before Christ and restore all things meaning of Iohn Baptist Iohn Baptist did restore the law and the Scripture vnto the right sence vnderstanding which the Pharises partly had darckned and made of none effect thorough their owne traditions Math. xv where Christ rebuketh them saying why transgresse ye the commaundementes of God thorough your traditions and partly had corrupt it with gloses and false interpretations that no mā could vnderstand it Wherefore Christ rebuketh them Mat. 23. saying wo be to you Pharises hipocrites which shut vp the kingdome of heauen before mē ye enter not your selues neither suffer them that come to enter in and partly did beguile the people and blinde their eyes in disguising themselues as thou readest in the same 23. chap. how they made broade and large Philacteries and did all their workes to be seene of men that the people should wonder at their disguisinges and visuring of themselues otherwise then God had made them and partly mocked them with hipocrisy of false holines in fasting praying and almes geuing Mat. 6. and this did they for lucre to be in authoritie to sitte in the consciences of people and to be counted as God him selfe that people shoulde trust in their holynes and not in God as thou readest in the place aboue rehearsed Mat. 23. wo be to you Pharises hipocrites which deuoure widowes houses vnder a colour of long prayer Counterfet therfore nothing without y t worde of God whē thou vnderstandest that it shall teach thee all thinges how to applie outwarde thinges and whereunto to referre them Beware of thy good entent good mynde good affection or zeale as they call it Peter of a good minde and of a good affection or zeale chidde Christ Math. 16. because he sayde that he must goe to Hierusalem and there be slayne But Christ called him Satan for his labour a name that belongeth to the deuil And sayde that he perceaued not godly thinges but worldly Of a good entent and of a feruēt affection to Christ the sonnes of Zededei would haue had fire to come downe from heauen to consume the Samaritans Luk. 9. But Christ rebuked them saying that they wist not of what sprite they were that is that they vnderstoode not how that they were altogether worldly fleshly mynded Peter smote Malchus of a good zeale but Christ condemned his deede The very Iewes of a good entēt and of a good zeale slew Christ and persecuted the Apostles as Paule beareth them recorde Rom. x. I beare them recorde sayth he that they haue a feruent mynde to Godward but not according to knowledge It is an other thing then to do of a good minde and to do of knowledge Labour for knowledge that thou mayest know Gods will and what he would haue thee to doe Our mynde entent and affection or zeale are blinde and all that we do of them is damned of god and for that cause hath God made a testament betwene him and vs wherin is cōteyned both what he would haue vs to do and what he would haue vs to aske of him See therefore that thou do nothing to please God withall but that he commaundeth neither aske any thing of him but that he hath promised thee The Iewes also as it appeareth Act. vij slew Steuē of a good zeale because he proued by the scripture that God dwelleth not in Churches or temples made wyth handes The Churches at the beginning were ordeyned that the people shoulde thether resorte to heare the word of God there preached onely and not for the vse wherein they now are The temple wherein God will be worshipped is the hart of man For God is a spirite sayth Christ Ioh. 4. and will be worshipped in y t spirite in truth that is when a penitent hart consenteth vnto the lawe of God and with a strong fayth lōgeth for the promises of God So is God honored on al sides in that we count him righteous in all his lawes and ordinaunces and also trust in all his promises Other worshipping of God is there none except we make an Idoll of him IT shal be recompensed thee at the rising agayne of the righteous Lu. xiiij Reade the text before and thou shalt perceaue that Christ doth here that same that he doth Math. v. that is he putteth vs in remembraunce of our dutie that we be to the poore as Christ is to vs and also teacheth vs how that we can neuer know whether our loue be right and whether it spring of Christ or no as long as we are but kinde to them onely which do as much for vs againe But and we be mercifull to the poore for conscience to God and of compassion and harty loue which compassion loue spring of the loue we haue to God in Christ for the pure mercy and loue that he hath shewed on vs then haue we a sure token that we are beloued of God and washed in Christes bloud and elect by Christes deseruing vnto eternall life The scripture speaketh as a father doth to his young sonne do this or that and then will I loue thee yet the father loueth his sonne first and studieth with all his power and witte to ouercome his childe with loue and with kindnes to make him do that which is comely honest and good for it selfe A kynde father and mother loue their children euen when they are euill that they would shed their bloud to make them better and to bring thē into the right way And a naturall childe studieth not to obtayne his fathers loue with workes but considereth with what loue his father loueth him with all
fayned of our scholemen which of late neither vnderstode greke latine or hebrue called doulia hyperdoulia and Laâ—ria But the difference declareth he not nor the properties of the wordes but with confused termes leadeth you blindfolde in hys maze As for hyperdoulia I woulde fayne weâ—e where he readeth of it in all the scripture and whether the worship done to hys Lord the Cardinalles hat were doulia hyperdoulia or idololatria And as for doulia and latria we fynde theÌ„ both referred vnto God in a thousand places Therefore that thou be not beguiled wyth falshod of sophisticall words vnderstand that the wordes which the scripture vseth in the worshipping or honouring of God are these loue god cleaue to God dread serue bow pray and call on God beleue and trust in God and such like Which wordes all we vse in the worshipping of man also how be it diuersly and the differeÌ„ce thereof doth all the scripture teach God hath created vs and made vs vnto his owne likenes and our sauiour Christ hath bought vs wyth hys bloud And therfore are we Gods possession of dutie and right and Christes seruauntes onely to waâ—…e on his will and pleasure and ought therefore to moue neither hand nor foâ—e nor any other member eyther hart or mynde otherwise then he hath appointed God is honoured in his owne person wheÌ„ we receaue al things both good bad at his hand and loue his lawe wyth all our hartes and beleue hope and long for all that he promiseth THe officers that rule the worlde in Gods stede as father mother master husband Lord and Prince are honoured when the lawe which almighty God hath committed vnto them to rule with is obeyed Thy neighbour that is out of office is honoured when thou as God hath commaunded thee louest hym as thy selfe countest hym as good as thy selfe thinkest hym as worthy of any thing as thy selfe and commest louingly to helpe hym at all hys neede as thou wouldest be holpe thy selfe because God hath made him like vnto hys owne image as well as thee and Christ hath bought hym as well as thee If I hate the lawe so I breake it in myne hart and both hate dishonour God the maker therof If I breake it outwardly then I dishonour god before the worlde and the officer that ministreth it If I hurt my neighbour then I dishonour my neighbour and him that made him and him also that bought him wyth hys bloud And eueÌ„ so if I hate my neighbour in mine hart then I hate him that commaundeth me to loue him and him that hath deserued that I should at the lest way for his sake loue him If I be not ready to helpe my neighbour at hys nede so I take his due honour from him dishonour him him that made him and him also that bought him with his bloud whose seruaunt he is If I loue such thinges as God hath lent me and committed vnto mine administration so that I can not finde in myne hart to bestow them on the vses which God hath appointed me then I dishonour God and abuse his creature in that I geue more honour vnto it theÌ„ I shuld do And then I make an idole of it in that I loue it more then God and hys commaundement and then I dishonour my neighbour from whose nede I withdraw it In like maner if the officer abusyng his power coÌ„pell the subiect to do that which God forbiddeth or to leue vndone that which God commaundeth so he dishonoureth God in withdrawyng his seruaunt from him maketh an Idole of his owne lustes in that he honoureth them aboue God he dishonoureth his brother in that he abuseth hym contrary vnto the right vse which God hath created him for and Christ hath bought him for which is to wayte on Gods coÌ„maundementes For if the officer be otherwise mynded then this the worst of these subiectes is made by the haÌ„des of him that made me and bought with the bloud of hym that bought me and therfore my brother and I but his seruaunt onely to defend him and to kepe him in the honour that God Christ hath set him that no man dishonour him he dishonoureth both God man And therto if any subiect thinke any otherwise of y t officer though he be an Emperour then that he is but a seruaunt onely to minister the office indifferently he dishonoureth the office and God that ordemed it So that all men what soeuer degree they be of are euery man in his rowme seruauntes to other as the hand serueth the foote and euery member one an other And the aungels of heauen are also our brethren and very seruauntes for Christes sake to defend vs from the power of the deuils And finally all other creatures that are neither aungels nor man are in honour lesse then man and man is Lord ouer them and they created to serue him as Scripture testifieth and he not to serue them but only his Lord God and his Sauiour Christ ¶ Of worshippyng of Sacraments ceremonies images reliques and so forth NOw let vs come to the worshippyng or honouryng of Sacramentes ceremonies images and reliques First images be not God and therefore no confidence is to be put in theÌ„ They be not made after the image of God nor are the price of Christes bloud but the woorkemanshyp of the craftes maÌ„ and the price of money and therfore inferiours to man Wherfore of all right man is Lord ouer them and the honour of theÌ„ is to do man seruice and mans dishonour it is to do them honourable seruice as vnto his better Images then and reliques ye and as Christ sayth the holy day to are seruauntes vnto man And therefore it foloweth that we can not but vnto our damnatioÌ„ put on a coate worth an huÌ„dred coates vpoÌ„ a postes backe and let the image of God the price of Christes bloud go vp downe therby naked For if we care more to cloth the dead image made by maÌ„ and the price of siluer then the liuely image of God and price of Christes bloud then we dishonoure the Image of God and hym that made him and the price of Christes bloud and hym that bought hym Wherfore the right vse office and honour of all creatures inferiours vnto man is to do maÌ„ seruice whether they be images reliques ornaments signes or Sacramentes holydayes ceremonies or sacrifices And that may be on this maner no doubt it so once was If for an example I take a peece of the crosse of Christ and make a litle crosse therof and beare it about me to looke theron with a repentyng hart at tymes wheÌ„ I am moued therto to put me in remembraunce that the body of Christ was broken and his bloud shed theron for my sinnes and beleue stedfastly that the mercyfull truth of God shall forgeue the sinnes of all that repeÌ„t
or xii yeare olde before they were admitted to receaue the sacrameÌ„t of Christes body haply And he apposed them of the lawe of God and fayth of Christ asked them whether they thought that lawe good and whether their hartes were to follow it And they aunswered yea And he apposed them in the articles of our fayth and asked them whether they put their hop and trust in Christ to be saued thorow his death and merites And they answered ye TheÌ„ coÌ„firmed he their baptim saying I confirme you that is I denounce and declare by the authoritie of Gods worde and doctrine of Christ that ye be truely baptised within in your hartes and in your spirites thorow prosessing the lawe of God and the faith of our sauiour Iesu which your outwarde baptim doth signifie and therupon I put this crosse in your foreheades that ye goe and fight agaynst the deuill the world and the flesh vnder the standard of our Sauiour in the name of the father the sonne the holy ghost AmeÌ„ Which maner I would to God for his tender mercy were in vse this day But after that the deuil was broken lowse and the Byshops began to purchase and the Deaâ—…s to scratch all to them and the spiritualtie to clime an hygh then because the labour seâ—… to tedious and paynfull to appose the children one by one they asked the Priests that presented theÌ„ onely whether the children were taught the professioÌ„ of their Baptisme And they aunswered yâ—â— And so vpon their wordes they confirmed theÌ„ without apposing So wheÌ„ they no lenger apposed them the Priests no lenger taught them but committed the charge to their Godfather and Godmothers and they to the father and mother dischargyng them selues by their owne authoritie within halfe an houre And the father mother taught theÌ„ a monstrous Latin Pater noster and an Aue and a Crede Which gibbresh euery Popâ—…iaye speaketh with a sundry pronunciation and fashion so that one Pater noster semeth as many languages almost as there be tounges that speake it Howbeit it is all one as loÌ„g as they vnderstand it not And in processe as the ignoraunce grew they brought them to confirmation straight from Baptisme so that now oftymes they be volowed and bishoped both in one day that is we be confirmed in blindnesse to be kept from knowledge for euer And thus are we come into this damnable ignoraunce and fierce wrath of God through our owne deseruyng because when the truth was told vs we had no loue therto And to declare the full and set wrath of God vpon vs our Prelates whom we haue exalted ouer vs to whom we haue geuen almost all we had haue persuaded the wordly Princes to whoÌ„ we haue submitted our selues and geueÌ„ vp our power to deuour vs vp body soule and to kepe vs downe in darkenesse with violence of sword and with all falsehead and guile In so much that if any do but lift vp his nose to smell after the truth they swap him in the face with a fire brande to seng hys smellyng or if he open one of his eyes once to looke toward y â— light of gods word they bleare daze his sight with their false iugglyng so that if it were possible though he were Gods elect he could not but be kept down and perish for lacke of knowledge of the truth And in like maner because Christ had institute the Sacrament of his body and bloud to kepe vs in remembrauÌ„ce of his body breaking blud sheding for our sinnes therfore went they and set vp this fashioÌ„ of the Masse and ordeined Sacramentes in the ornamentes thereof to signifie and expresse all the rest of his passioÌ„ The amice on the head is the kercheue that Christ was blynd folded with when the souldiours buffeted him and mocked hym saying prophecie vnto vs who smote thee But now it may wel signifie that he that putteth it on is blynd and hath professed to leade vs after him in darkenesse according vnto the beginnyng of his play And the flappe theron is the crowne of thorne And the albe is the white garment that Herode put on him saying he was a foole because he held his peace and would not auÌ„swere him And the ij flappes on the sleues and the other ij on the albe beneath ouer agaynst his fete behind and before are the. iiij nayles And the fanon on his hand the cord that his haÌ„des were bound with And the stole the rope wherwith he was bound vnto the piller when he was scorged And the corporiscloth the sindon wherin he was buried and the altare is the crosse or haply the graue and so forth And the casting abroad of his hands the splaying of Christ vpon the crosse And the light and sticking vp of candles bearyng of candles or tapers in procession happly signified this text Math. v. ye be the light of the world and let your light so shyne before meÌ„ that they may see your good workes glorifie your father which is in heauen And the salt signifieth the wisedome of Christes doctrine and that we should therewith salt our dedes and do nothing without the authoritie of Gods word So that in one thing or other what in the garmeÌ„tes and what in the gestures all his playde in so much that before he will go to Masse he wil be sure to sell hym lest Iudases part should be left out And so throughout all the SacrameÌ„ts ceremonies or signes iij. words of one signification there were significations vnto them at the beginning And so long as it was vnderstaÌ„d what was ment by them and they dyd but serue the people and preach one thyng or an other vnto them they hurted not greatly though that the free seruaunt of Christ ought not to be brought violently into captiuitie vnder the boÌ„dage of traditions of men As S. Augustine complayneth in his dayes how that the condition and state of the Iewes was more easy then the ChristiaÌ„s vnder traditions so sore had the tyranny of the shepheardes inuaded the flocke all ready in those dayes And theÌ„ what iust cause haue we to coÌ„plaine our captiuitie now vnto whose yocke from that tyme hetherto enen xij hundred yeares long hath euer somwhat more waight bene added to for to keepe vs bowne and to confirme vs in blyndnesse howbeit as long as the significatioÌ„s bode they hurted not the soule though they were paynefull vnto the body Neuerthelesse I impute this our greuous fal into so extreme and horrible blyndnesse wherin we are so deepe and so deadly brought a slepe vnto no thyng so much as vnto the multitude of ceremonies For assoone as the Prelates had set vp such a rable of ceremonies they thonght it superflnous to preach the playne text any longer and the law of God faith of Christ loue toward our
for the deedes that pertayne vnto our neighbours and vnto the common wealth we haue not regarded at all as thynges which seemed no holy workes or such as God woulde not once looke vppon And therfore we left them vnsene to vntill they were past remedy or past our power to remedy thē in as much as our slowbellies with their false blessinges had iugled away from vs that wherwith they might haue bene holpen in due season So that y ◠silly poore man though he had haply no wisdome to expresse hys mynde or y t he durst not or y ◠M. More fashioneth his tale as he doth other mens to lest out the truth sawe that neither Goodwinsandes nor any other cause alleaged was the decay of Sandwich hauen so much as that the people had no lust to mainteyne the common wealth for blynde deuotion which they haue to popeholy workes ¶ The solutions and answeres vnto M. Mores first booke IN the first chapter to beginne the booke wythal to bring you good lucke and to geue you a say or a taste what truth shall follow he fayneth a letter sent from no man The second Chapter In the second chapter besides that it is vntrue this vse to haue bene euer since the tyme of the Apostles he maketh many sophisticall reasons about worshipping of saintes reliques and Images yet declareth not w t what maner worship but iuggleth with the terme in comune as he doth with this worde church and this worde fayth when the wordes haue diuers significations for all faithes are not one maner fayth and so forth and therefore he beguileth a mans vnderstanding As if a man sayd the boyes will was good to haue geuen his father a blow and an other woulde inferre that a good will coulde be no sinne and conclude that a man might lawfully smite hys father Now is good will taken in one sence in the maior and in an other in y ◠minor to vse schollers termes therfore the conclusion doth mocke a mās wit Then disputeth he the seruaunt is honoured for the masters sake and what is done to the poore is done to Christ as the popishe shall once feele for their so robbing them And the xii Apostles shall haue their seates sitte and iudge with Christ as shal all that here preach hym truely as they dyd and Mary that powred the ointment on Christes head before hys passion hath her memoriall and therefore we ought to set candles before Images First I aske hym by what rule hys argument holdeth And secondarily I answere that the true worshipping of Saintes is their memoriall to follow them as they did Christ And that honour we geue them and so do not ye papists but folow the steppes of your father the Pope as he doth the steppes of his father the deuill And as for sticking vp of candles I aunswere that God is a spirite and in the spirit must be worshipped only Faith to his promises and loue to his lawes and longing for the life that is in his sonne are his due honour and seruice All bodyly seruice must be referred vnto our selues and not vnto the person of God immediatly All outwarde thynges which we receaue of God are geuē vs. to take our partes with thankes and to bestow the rest vppon our neyghbours For God vseth no such thynges in his owne person but created thē for to gene thē vs that we shoulde thanke hym and not to receaue them of vs to thanke vs for that were our praise and not his Fasting watching wolward goyng pilgrimage and all bodely exercise must be referred vnto y t taming of the fleshe onely For as god deliteth not in y ◠tast of meat drinke or in the sight of golde or siluer no more doth he in my fast and such like that I should referre them vnto hys person to do him a pleasure withall For God in himselfe is as good as he can be hath all the delectation that he cā haue And the refore to wish that God were better then be is or had more pleasure then he hath is of a worldly imagination And all the spirites that be in heauē are in as good case as they can be and haue all the delectation they can haue and therefore to wishe them in better case or to studie to do them more pleasure then they haue is fleshly mynded popishnes The pleasure of them that be in heauen is that we harken to god and keepe his commaundementes which when we do they haue all the pleasure that they can haue in vs. If in this life I suffer hell gladly to win my brother to folow God how much more if I were in heauen should I reioyce that he so did If in thys worlde when I haue neede of my neighbour by the reason of myne infirmities yet I seke nought of him saue his wealth onely what other thing should I seke of hym if I were in heauen where he can do me no seruice nor I vse any pleasure that he can do me THe deuill desired to haue his imaginations worshipped as God his popishe children desire the same compell men so to honour them and of their deuelishe nature describe they both God and his Saintes And therfore I say all such fleshly imaginations as to fast the wensday in the worship of S. Iohn or of S. Katerine or what Saint it be or to fast Sayntes eues or to go a pilgrimage vnto their images or to offer to them to do them pleasure thinkyng therby to obteyne their fauour and to make special adnocates of them as a man would winne the fauour of an other with presentes and giftes and thinking that if we did it not they would be angry are playne Idolatry image seruice for the saint deliteth in no such And when thou stickest vp a candle before the image thou mightest with as good reason make an holow bely in the image and powre in meate and drincke For as the Saint neither eateth nor drinketh so hath he no bodyly eyes to delyte in the light of a candle An other is this God geueth not the promises that are in Christ for bodyly seruice but of his mercy onely vn to his owne glorie Yea and of the fathers goodnesse do all naturall childrē receaue Aske a litle boy who gaue him his gay coate he aūswereth his father Aske him why and he annswereth because he is his father and loueth hym and because he is his sonne Aske hym whether his father loue hym and he sayth yea Aske him how he knoweth it and he sayth because he geueth me this or that Aske him whether he loue his father he sayth yea Aske him why he sayth for his father loueth hym and geueth him all thing Aske him why he worketh he aunswereth his father wil so haue it Aske him why his father geneth not such and such boyes coates to Nay saith he they be not
all thyng for vauntage leadeth in the darkenesse of death M. Tyndall doth knowe how that S. Augustine and S. Hierome do proue with holy Scripture that confessioÌ„ is of necessitie vnto saluation Tyndall That is false if ye meane eareconfession Why alledge ye not the places where But ye know by S. Hierome and other stories and by the conuersation with Erasmus how it came vp and that the vse was once farre other then now M. I meruell that Tyndal denieth Purgatory except he entend to go to hell Tyndall He entendeth to purge here vnto the vttermost of his power hopeth that death will end and finish hys purgation And if there be any other purgyng he will commit it to God take it as he findeth it when he coÌ„meth at it and in the meane tyme take no thought therefore but for this that is present wherewith all Saintes were purged and were taught so to be And Tyndall marueleth what secret pilles they take to purge them selues whiche not onely will not purge here with the crosse of Christ but also bye out theyr Purgatory therof the pope for a groat or vj. pence The xviij Chapter M. The Clergie doth nothyng vnto the heretikes but as the holy Doctours dyd Tyndall Yes ye put them in your prisons and diote them and handle them after your fashion as temporall tyrauÌ„tes and dispute with them secretly and will not come at light And ye slea theÌ„ for rebukyng you with Gods worde and so did not the old holy Doctours If a man slea his father ye care not But if any man touche one of you though he haue neuer so great an occasion geuen him ye curse him and if he will not submitte him selfe vnto your punishmeÌ„t ye leaue him vnto the temporall power whome ye haue hyred with y e spoyle of his goodes to be your hangman so that he must lose his life for geuyng one of you but a blowe on the cheke M. Saint Paule gaue two heretickes vnto the deuill whiche tormented theyr fleshe whiche was no small punishement and haply he slew them Tyndall O expounder of the Scripture like Hugo Charensis which exposideth haereticum hominem deuita take the hereticke out of his lyfe We read of no payne that he had whom the Corinthians excommunicated and gaue to Sathan to slea his fleshe saue that hee was ashamed of hym selfe and repented when he saw his offence so earnestly taken and so abhorred But ye because ye haue no power to deliuer them to Sathan to blynde theyr myndes ye deliuer theÌ„ to the fire to destroy their flesh that no more is seene of them after then the ashes ¶ FINIS ¶ The practise of papisticall Prelates made by Wylliam Tyndall ¶ In the yeare of our Lorde 1530. ¶ William Tyndall to the Christian Reader WHen the olde Scribes and Phariseis had darckned the Scripture wyth their traditions and false interpretacions and wicked perswasions of fleshly wisdome and shut vp the kingdome of heauen which is Gods word that the people coulde not enter in vnto the knowledge of the true way as Christ complayneth in the Gospell Math. x. iij. Then they sat in the hartes of men with their false doctrine in the stead of God and hys word slew the soules of the people to deuoure their bodyes and to robbe them of their worldly substaunce But when Christ and Iohn the Baptiste had restored the Scripture agayne vnto the true vnderstanding and had vttered their falsehead and improued their tradicions and confounded their false interpretations with the cleare and euident textes and with power of the holy Ghost had brought all their iuggling and hypocrisie to light theÌ„ they gat them vnto the elders of the people perswaded them saying this man is surely of the deuill and hys myracles be of the deuill no doubt And these good workes which he doth in healing the people yea and his preaching against our couetousnes are but a cloke to bring hym vnto hys purpose that when he hath gotteÌ„ him disciples ynow he may rise against the Emperour and make hymselfe kyng And then shall the Romaynes come take our land from vs and cary away our people and put other naâ—ions in our realme and so shall we lose all that we haue and the most part of our liues therto Take heede therefore betimes while there is remedy yer he go so far that ye be not able to resiste hym The elders of the people which were rich and welthy though before they in a maner fauoured Christ or at y â— least way were indifferent nor greatly caryng whether God or the deuil raigned so that they might bide in their authoritie feared immediatly as Herode did of the losse of his kingdome when the wise men asked where the new borne king of Iewed was and conspired with the Scribes and Phariseis against Christ and tooke him and braught him vnto Pilate saying We haue â—ounde this fellow peruerting the people and forbidding to pay tribute vnto Cesar and saying that he is king and mouyng the people from Galile vnto this place The Pilate though he likewise was before indifferent put now in feare of the losse of his office thorow such perswasions slew innocent Christ And in very deede as the Scribes Phariseis were all their liues before blynde guides vnto the destruction of their soules euen so were they at their last ende blinde Prophetes vnto the destruction of their bodyes For after that they had slayne Christ and diuers of his Apostles and persecuted those poore wretches that beleued on hym God to aduenge the poore innocent bloude that bare witnes vnto the truth poured hys wrath among them that they theÌ„selues rose against the Emperour And the Romaynes came according as they blyndly prophesied and slew the most part of them and caryed y e rest captiue into all nacions and put other nacions in the Realme But whose fault was that insurrection against the Emperour and mischiefe that followed Christes and his Apostles whom they falsely accused before hand Nay Christ taught that they shoulde geue Cesar that pertayned vnto Cesar and God that which belonged to God EueÌ„ that they should geue Cesar lawfull their bodely seruice God the hart and that they should loue Gods law repent of their euill come and receaue mercy and let the wrath of god be taken from of them And the Apostles taught that all soules should obey the hyer powers or temporall rulers but their obstinate malice that so hardened their harâ—s that they coulde not repent and their raylyng vppon the open and manifest with which they coulde not improue and resisting the holy Ghost and sleying of the preachers of righteousnes brought the wrath of God vpoÌ„ theÌ„ and was cause of their vtter destruction Euen so our Scribes and Pharises now that their hypocrisie is disclosed and there falshead so brought
cogis auri sacrafames What doth not that holy hunger compell them that loue this world inordinatly to committe might that deuils belye be once full truth should haue audience and wordes be constcued a right and takeÌ„ in the same sence as they be ment Though it seme not impossible haply that there might be a place where the soules might be kept for a space to be taught and instruct yet that there should be fitch a Iayle as they Iangle and such fashions as they fayne is playne impossible and repugnaunt to the Scripture for when a man is traÌ„slated veterly out of the kyngdome of Sathan and so confirmed in grace that he can not sinne so burnyng in loue that his lust can not be plucked from Gods will and beyng partaker with vs of all the promises of God and vnder the commaundemeÌ„tes what could be denyed hym in that deepe innocencie of hys most kynde father that hath left no mercy vnpromised and askyng it thereto in the name of his sonne Iesus the child of his hartes lust whiche is our Lord hath left no mercy vndeserued for vs namely when GOD hath sworne that he will put of righteousnes and be to vs a father and that of all mercy and hath slayne his most deare sonne Iesus to confirme hys othe Finally seyng that Christes loue taketh all to the best and nothing is here that may not be wel vnderstanded the circumstances declaryng in what sence all was ment they ought to haue interpreted in charitably if ought had bene founde doubtefull or seemyng to sound amysse Moreouer if any thyng had ben therin that could not haue ben taken well yet their part had bene to haue interprete it as spoken of idlenes of the head by the reason of sickenesse for as much as the man was vertuous wise and well learned and of good fame and report and sounde in the fayth whyle he was a lyue But if they say he was suspect when he was a lyue then is their doyng so much the worsse and to bee thought that they feared hys doctrine when hee was a lyue and mistrusted their owne part their conscieÌ„ces testifyeng to them that he held no other doctrine theÌ„ that was true seyng they then neither spake nor wrote agaynst him nor brought hym to any examinatioÌ„ Besides that some mery felowes will thinke that they ought first to haue sent to him to wyt whether he would haue reuoked yet they had so despitefully burnt the dead body that could not aunswere for it selfe nor interprete his wordes how he ment them namely the man beyng of so worshypfull and auncieÌ„t a bloud But here will I make at end desiryng y t reader to loke on this thing with indifferent eyes and iudge whether I haue expouÌ„ded the wordes of this TestameÌ„t as they should seme to signifie or not iudge also whether the maker therof seme not by his worke both vertuous and godly whiche if it so bee thinke that he was the worsse bycause the dead body was burnt to ashes but rather learne to know the great desyre that hypocrites haue to finde one craft or other to dase the truth with cause it to be counted for heresie of the simple and vnlearned people whiche are so ignoraunt they can not spye theyr sutteltie it must nedes be heresie that toucheth any thyng their rotten byle they wil haue it so who soeuer say nay onely the eternall God must be prayed to night day to amende them in whose power it onely lyeth Who also graunt theÌ„ once earnestly to thirst his true doctrine contained in the sweete and pure fountaines of hys Scriptures and in his pathes to direct their wayes AMEN Here endeth the Exposition of Master Tracies will by William Tyndall ¶ A frutefull and godly treatise expressing the right institution and vsage of the Sacramentes of Baptisme and the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Sauiour Iesu Christ Compiled by William Tyndall TO vnderstaÌ„d the pith of y â— SacrameÌ„tes how they came vp the very meanyng of them we must consider diligently the maners fashions of the Hebrues which were a people of great grauitie sadnesse and earnest in all their doynges if any notable thyng chaunced among them so that they not onely wrote but also set vp pillers and markes diuers signes to testifie the same vnto their posteritie and named the places where the thynges were done with such names as could not but keepe the dedes in memorie As Iacob called the place where he saw God face to face Pheniell that is Gods face And the place where the Egyptians mourned for Iacob seueÌ„ dayes the people of the countrey called Abell Miram that is the lamentation of the Egyptians to the intent that such names should kepe the gestes and stories in minde And likewise in all their couenaunts they not onely promised one to another and sware theron but also set vp signes and tokens therof and gaue the places names to keepe the thyng in minde And they vsed therto such circumstaunces protestations solemne fashions and ceremonies to confirme the coâ—enauÌ„tes and to testifie that they were made with great earnest aduise and deliberation to the intent that it should be to much shame and to much abhomination both before God and man to breake them euer after As Abraham Genes 21. when he made a couenaunt of peace with Abimeleck kyng of the Philistines after they had eaten and dronke together and sworne hee put seuen Lambes by them selues and Abimelecke receiued them of his hand to testifie that he there had digged a certaine well and that the right therof pertained to hym And he called the well Beer Seba the well of Swearyng or the well of seneÌ„ because of the oth of the seueÌ„ lambes and by that title did Abraham his children chalenge it many hundred yeares after And when Iacob Laban made a coueâ—aunt together Genes 31. they cast vp an heape of stones in witnesse and called it Giliad the heape of witnesse and they bound ech other for theÌ„ and their posteritie that neither part should passe the heape to the others countreyward to hurt or conquer their land and Laban bouÌ„d Iacob also that he should take no other wiues besides his daughters to vexe them And of all that couenaunt they made that heape a witnes calling it the witnesseheape that their children should enquire the cause of the name their father should declare vnto them the history And such fashions as they vse among them selues did God also vse to themward in all his notable dedes whether of mercy in deliueryng them or of wrath in punishing their disobedience and traÌ„sgression in all his promises to them and couenauntes made betwene them and hym As when after the generall floude God made a couenaunt with Noe and all mankind also withall liuing creatures that he would no more drowne the world he gaue them the
flesh to eate it is soluted euen when he gaue his body to be broken his bloud to be shed And we eate and drinke it in deede wheÌ„ we beleue stedfastly that hee dyed for the remission of our sinnes Austen and Tertullian to witnesse But here maketh More his argument agaynst the young man Because the Iewes maruelleâ— at this saying My flesh is very meate and my bloud drinke And not at this I am the dore and the very vyne therefore this text sayth he My flesh is c. must be vnderstand after the litterall sence that is to wirte eueÌ„ as the carnall Iewes vnderstode it murmuring at it beyng offended goyng their wayes froÌ„ Christ for their so carnall vnderstandyng therof And the other textes I am the dore c. must be vnderstand in an Allegory and spituall sence because his hearers maruelled nothyng at the maner of the speach Loe Christen Reader here hast thou not a â—ast but a great tunne full of Mores mischief and pernicious peruertyng of Gods holy worde and as thou seist him here falsely pestilently destroy the pure sence of Gods worde so doth hee in all other places of hys bookes First where he sayth they marueiled at this Christes saying My flesh is very meate c. that is not so neither is there any such worde in the text except More will expounde Murmurabant idest mirabantur they murmured that is to say they marueiled as he expouÌ„deth Oportet idest expedit conuenit He must dye or it behoueth him to dye that is to say it was expedient and of good coÌ„gruence that he should dye c. Thus this Poete may make a man to signifie an Asse blacke white to blere the simple eyes But yet for his Lordly pleasure let vs graunt him that they murmured is as much to say as they meruayled because perchaunce the one may folow at the other And then do I aske him whether Christes Disciples and his Apostles heard â—im not vnderstode him not when he sayd I am the doore and the vyne and when hee sayd My flesh c. If he say no or nay the Scripture is playne agaynst him If he say yea or yes then yea doe I aske hym whether his Disciples and Apostles thus hearyng and vnderstandyng hys woordes in all these three Chapters wondered and meruayled as More sayth or murmuâ—ed as hath the text at their maisters speech What thinke ye More must aunswere here Here may ye see whether this old holy vpholder of the Popes Churche is brought euen to be taken in his owne trappe For the Disciples and his Apostles neither murmured nor merâ—ayled nor yet were offended w t this their maister Christes wordes and maner of speech for they wâ—…ainted with such phâ—…red their maister Christ when hâ—â—…e will ye also go hence frâ—me â–ª Lord sayd they to whom shall we goe thou hast the wordes of euerlastyng lyâ—e and we beleue that thou arâ—… sonne of the liuyng God Lo M. More they neither meruailed nor murmured And why For because as ye say theâ— vnderstode iâ— in an Allegory 〈◊〉 â—â—d perceiued well that hee meant not of hys materiall â—ody to bee eaten with their teeth but he meant 〈◊〉 of him selfe to be beleued to be very God and very man hauing flesh and bloud as they had and yet was he â—he sonne of the liuyng God This belefe gathered they of all hys spirituall sayinges as hym selfe expounded his own wordes saying My flesh profiteth nothyng meanyng to be eaten but it is the spirite that giueth this life And the wordes that I speake vnto you are spirite and lyfe so that who so beleue my flesh to be crucified and broken and my bloud to be shed for his sinnes he eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud and hath lyfe euerlastyng And this is the lyfe wherewith the righteous lyue euen by fayth The second argument of More AFter this text thus wisely proued to be vnderstand in the litterall sence with carnall Iewes and not in the Allegorike or spirituall sense with Christ his Apostles the whole suÌ„me of Mores confutation of the young maÌ„ standeth vpon this Argument 〈◊〉 Posse ad Esse That is to witte God may do it Ergâ— it is done Christ may make his body in many or in all places at once Ergo it is in many or in all places at once Which maner of argumentation how false and naught it is euery sophister and euery man that hath witte perceiueth A like argument God may shew More the truth and call him to repentaunce as he did Paul for persecutyng his Church Ergo More is conuerted to God Or God may let him run of an indurate hart with Pharao and at last take an open and soden vengeaunce vppon him for persecutyng hys worde and burnyng his poore members Ergo it is done already M. More must firste proue it vs by expresse wordes of holy Scripture and not by hys owne vnwritten dreames that Christes body is in many places or in all places at once and then though our reason can not reach it yet our fayth measured and directed with the worde of fayth will both reach it receiue it and hold it fast to not because it is possible to God and impossible to reason but bicause the written woorde of our fayth sayth it But wheÌ„ we read Gods wordes in mo then xx places contrary that his body should be here More must giue vs leue to beleue his vnwritten vanities verities I should say at laysure Here mayst thou see Christen reader wherefore More would so fayne make thee beleue that the Apostles left out certeine thynges vnwritten of necessitie to be beleued eueÌ„ to stablish the Popes kyngdome which standeth of Mores vnwritten vanities As of the presence of Christes body and makyng therof in the bread Of Purgatory of inuocation of Saintes worshyppyng of stones and stockes pilgrimages halowyng of bowes and belles and crepyng to the crosse c. If ye will beleue what so euer More can fayne without the Scripture then caÌ„ this Poete faine you an other Church theÌ„ Christes and that ye must beleue it what so euer it teacheth you for he hath fained to that it caÌ„ not erre though ye see it erre and fight agaynst it selfe a thousand rymes Yea if it tell you blacke is white good is bad and the deuill is God yet must ye beleue it or els be burned as heretikes But let vs returne to our purpose To dispute of Gods almighty absolute power what God may do with his body it is great folie and no lesse presumption to More sith the Pope whiche is no whole God but halfe a God by their owne decrees haue decreed no man to dispute of his power But Christen Reader be thou content to know that Gods wil his word and his power be all one and repugne not And neither willeth he nor may not do any thing includyng
where one I pray ye but also done by the commoÌ„ course of nature here in earth If they be done by the common course of nature so be they no miracles And some thynges made also by mans hand As one face beholded in diuers glasses and euery peece of one glasse broken into twenty c. Lorde how this pontiâ—icall Poete playeth his part Bicause as he saith we see many faces in many glasses therefore may one body be in many places as though euery shadow and similitude representing the body were a bodely substauÌ„ce But I aske More when hee seeth hys owne face in so many glasses whether all those faces that appeare in the glasses be his owne very faces hauing bodely substaunce skynne fleshe bone as hath that face which hath his very mouth nose eyen c. wherewith he faceth vs out the truth thus falsely with lyes And if they be all his very faces then in very deede there is one body in many places and he him selfe beareth as many faces in one hode But accordyng to his purpose eueÌ„ as they be no very faces nor those so many voyces sownes and similitudes multiplied in the ayre betwene the glasses or other obiect the body as the Philosopher proueth by naturall reason be no very bodyes no more is it Christes very body as they would make thee beleue in the bread in so many places at once But the bread broken and eaten in the Supper monisheth and putteth vs in remembraunce of his death and so exciteth vs to thankes giuyng to lande and prayse for the benefite of our redemption and thus wee there haue Christ present in the inward eye and sight of our fayth We eate his body and drinke hys bloud that is we beleue surely that hys bodye was crucified for our sinnes and hys bloud shed for our saluation At last note Christen reader that M. More in the third booke of his confutation of Tyndall the. CCxlix side to proue S. Iohns Gospell vnperfit and insufficient for leauing out of so necessary a point of our faith as he calleth the last Supper of Christ his MauÌ„dy sayth that Iohn speake nothyng at all of this SacrameÌ„t And now see againe in these his letters agaynst Frith how him selfe bringeth in Iohn the vj. chap. to impugne Frithes writyng and to make all for the Sacrament eueÌ„ thus My flesh is verely meate my bloud drinke Belike the man had there ouer shotte hym selfe foule the young man here causing him to put on his spectacles and poore better and more wisely with his old eyen vpoÌ„ S. Iohns Gospel to finde that thing there now written which before he would haue made one of his vnwritten verities As yet if he looke narowly hee shall espy that him self hath proued vs by Scripture in the xxxvij leafe of his Dialogue of quoth he and quoth I our Ladies perpetuall virginitie expoundyng non cogâ—osco id est non cognoscam whiche now written vnwritten veritie hee numbereth a litle before among his vnwritteÌ„ vanities Thus may ye see how this old holy vpholder of the popes church hys woordes fight agaynst him selfe into his own confusion in findyng vs forth his vnwritten written vanities verities I should say But returne we vnto the exposition of S. Iohn When the Iewes would not vnderstand the spirituall saying of the eating of Christes flesh and drinkyng of hys bloud so oft and so playnely declared he gaue them a strong stripe and made them more blynd for they so deserued it such are the secrete iudgementes of God addyng vnto all hys sayinges thus who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud abideth in me and I in him These wordes were spoken vnto these vnbeleuers into their farther obstinatioÌ„ but vnto the faithfull for theyr better instruction Now gather of this the contrary say who so eateth not my fleshe and drinketh not my bloud abydeth not in me nor I in him and ioyne this to the foresayd sentence Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of maÌ„ drinke hys bloud ye haue no lyfe in you let it neuer fal froÌ„ thy minde Christen reader that faith is the lyfe of the righteous and that Christ is this lyuyng bread whom thou eatest that is to say in whoÌ„ thou beleuest For if our Papistes take eatyng drinkyng here bodely as to eate the naturall body of Christ vnder the forme of bread and to drinke hys bloud vnder the forme of wyne theÌ„ must all young children that neuer came to Gods borde departed all laye men that neuer drancke hys bloud be damned By loue we abyde in God and hee in vs loue foloweth faith in the order of our vnderstanding and not in order of succession of tyme if thou lookest vpon the selfe giftes and not on their fruites So that principally by faith wherby we cleaue to Gods goodnes and mercy we abide in God and God in vs as declare his wordes folowyng saying as the liuyng father sent me so liue I by my father And euen so he that eateth me shall lyue bycause of me or for my sake My father sent me whose will in all thinges I obey for I am his sonne And euen soverely must they that eate me that is beleue in me forme and fashion them after my exaÌ„ple mortifying their flesh chaunging their liuing or els they eate me in vayne and dissemble theyr belief For I am not come to redeme y t world onely but also to chaunge theyr lyfe They therefore that beleue in me shall traÌ„sforme their life after my example doctrine not after any mans traditioÌ„s This is the bread y t came froÌ„ heaueÌ„ as the effect it selfe declareth whoÌ„ who so eateth shall lyue euer But he y t eateth bodely bread lyueth not euer as ye may see of your fathers y t eate MaÌ„na yet are they dead It is not therfore any materiall bread nor bodely foode that may geue you life eternall These wordes did not onely offende them that hated Christ but also some of hys Disciples They were offended sayd the text and not merueyled as More trifleth out the truth which said This is an hard saying who may here this These Disciples yet stoke no lesse in Christes visible fleshe and in the barke of his wordes then did the other Iewes and as doth now More beleuing him to haue had spoken of his naturall body to be eaten with their teth Which offence Christ seyng sayd doth this offend you what then will ye say if ye see the sonne of maÌ„ ascend thether where he was before If it offend you to eate my flesh while I am here it shal much more offend you to eate it when my body shal be gone out of your sight ascended into heauen there sittyng on the right hand of my father vntill I come again as I weÌ„t that is to iudgement Here might Christ haue instructed his disciples in the truth of the
beleued in Christ to bee incarnated and to suffer death what els meant the poore woman of Lanane by eating then to beleue whē she aunswered Christ saying Ye say soth my Lorde But yet doe the little whelpes eate of the crummes that fall from their maisters table This dyd she aunswere in an allegory accordyng to Christes first aunswere vnto her she meanyng by y t eatyng of the crummes the belief of his woordes and Gospell to be scattered among the Gentils as Christ aunsweryng cōfirmed her meanyng saying O woman great is thy fayth He sayd not thou art a great eater and deuourer of bread Here it is playne that to eate in the Scripture is taken to beleue as Christ him selfe expoundeth it so oft and so plentuously And I am here compelled to inculke iterate it with so many wordes to satisfie if it were possible this carnall fleshvowerer and fleshly Iew. Now to examine and to discusse this matter more depely playnly I shall compare the old passeouer with the new and supper of the Lord. And to shew you how the figures correspond their verities I will begyn my comparison at Baptisme comparyng it with the Lordes Supper which be the two Sacramentes left vs now vnder the grace of the Gospell And afterward to set foorth both these Sacramentes playnly I wil compare Circumcision with Baptisme the passe lambe with Christes Supper We by Baptisme as we testified vn to the congregation our entryng into the body of Christ take here Christes body as doth Paule for his congregation to dye to be buried and to ryse with him to mortifie our flesh and to be reuiued in spirite to cast of the old man and to do vpon vs the new euen so by the thankes giuyng for so did the old Greke doctours cal this Supper at Gods bourde or at the Lordes Supper for so doth Paule call it we testifie the vnitie and communion of our hartes glued vnto the whole body of Christ in loue yea and that such loue as Christ at this his last Supper expressed what tyme he sayd his body should be broken and his bloud shed for the remission of our sinnes And to be short As Baptisme is the badge of our fayth so is the Lordes Supper the token of our loue to God our neighbours where vppon standeth the law and the Prophetes For the end of the precept is loue out of a pure hart and good conscience and fayth vnfayned So that by baptisme we be initiated cōsigned vnto the worship of one God in one fayth And by the same faith and loue at the Lordes Supper we shew our selues to cōtinue in our possession to bee incorporated and to be the very members of Christes body Both these Sacramentes were figured in Moyses law Baptisme was figured by Circumcision the Lordes Supper by the eatyng of the passelambe Where lyke as by Circumcisiō the people of Israell were rekened to be Gods people seueral from the Gētiles so be we now by Baptisme rekened to bee consigned vnto Christes Church seuerall frō Iewes paynyms c. And as their passeouer that is to say their solēne feast yearely in eatyng their passelambe was an outward token of their perseueraunce in their religion and in remembraunce of their passage out of Egypt into the lande of Chanaan so is now the eatyng of the Lordes Supper whiche Christ and Paule called our passeouer a token of our perseueraunce in our Christen profession at Baptisme and also thankes giuyng with that ioyfull remēbraunce of our redemption frō sinne death and hell by Christes death Of the figure of this Supper our new passeouer thus it is written After ye be entred into that land whiche the Lord God shall giue you accordyng to his promise ye shall kepe this ceremonie And when your children aske you what Religion is this ye shall aunswere them It is the sacrifice of the passyng ouer of the Lord when the Lord passed foorth by the houses of the children of Israell in Egypt smityng the Egyptiās and deliuering our houses This eatyng therfore of the passe lambe was the figure of the Lordes Supper ▪ whiche figure when the houre was come y ◠he would it to ceasse and giue place vnto the veritie as the shadow to vanish away at the presence of the body He sayd thus with a feruent desire do I long to eate this passeouer with you ere I suffer Agayne let vs compare the figure with the truth the old passeouer with the new and diligētly consider the propertie of speakyng in and of either of thē Let vs expende the succession imitation and tyme how the new succeding the old mediatour Christ betwen both sitting at the Supper celebrating both with his presence did put out the old and bryng in the new For there is in either of them such like composition of wordes such affinitie and proportiō of spech such similitude and propertie in them both the new so correspōdyng in all thynges to the old that the old declareth the new what is it wherfore it was instituted and what is the very vse therof And to begyn at Circumcision the figure of Baptisme ye shall vn derstand that in such rites and Sacramētes there are two thinges to be considered that is to wit The thyng and the signe and of thyng The thynge is it wherfore the signe is instituted to signifie it as in Circumcision the thyng is the couenaunt to be of the people of God and the signe is the cuttyng of the foreskinne of the preuy mēber In the passeouer the thing was the remēbraunce with thankes giuyng for the deliueraunce out of the hard seruitude of Egypt but the signe was the lambe rosted with such ceremonies as were there prescribed them So in baptisme The thyng is the promise to be of the Church of Christ the signe is the dippyng into the water with the holy wordes In our Lordes Supper the very thing is Christ promised and crucified and of faith with thankes giuing vnto the father for his sonne giuen to suffer for vs. But the signe is the dealyng and distributing or reaching forth of the bread and wyne with the holy wordes of our Lord spoken at his supper after he had thus dealt the bread wyne vnto his Disciples And here is it diligently to be noted That in all such rites ceremonies or Sacramentes of God thus instituted these two thinges that is to witte the thyng signified and the signe that signifieth be concurraunt and inseparable It is the common vse and propertie of spech in the Scripture to call the signe the thyng As is Circumcision called the couenaunt Euery manchild must be circumcised that my couenaunt might be in your flesh for a perpetuall bande And yet was it onely but the outward signe seale of the couenaūt that the sede of Abraham should be his especial chosen people that he would
Austen sayd before the Apostle sayth not we signifie burning but sayth we are buried And likewise here Christ sayd not this signifieth my body but this is my body calling the sacrament signe token and memoriall of so great a thing euen with y e name of the very thing it selfe thus doth S. Ambrose choke our sophisters Neuerthelesse I will alleage one place more out of S. Ambrose where he saith Dicit sacerdos fac nobis inquit hanc oblationeÌ„ scriptaÌ„ rationabileÌ„ quod est figura corporis Domini nostri Iesu Christi That is y e Priest sayth make vs this oblation acceptable c. For it is a figure of the body of our Lord Iesu Christ Here he cauleth it plainly a figure of Christes body which thing you can not auoyde Therfore geue prayse vnto God let his truth sprede which is so plainely testified by these holy fathers Now let vs see what S. Hierome sayth S. Hierome writyng vpon Ecclesiaste sayth on thys maner Caro Domini verus cibus est sanguis eius verus potus est hoc solum habemus in praesenti saeculo bonuÌ„ si vescamur carne eius cruoreque potemur non solum in mysterio sed â—tiam in scripturarum lectione verus enim cibus potus qui ex verbo dei sumitur scientia scripturarum est That is to say The flesh of the Lord is very meate hys bloud is very drinke This is onely the pleasure or profite that we haue in thys worlde that we may eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloud not onely in a mysterye but also in the readyng of Scriptures For the very meate and drink which is taken out of Gods worde is the knowledge of Scriptures Here may ye sée Saint Hieromes minde in few wordes For first he sayth that we eate hys fleshe and drinke hys bloud in a mysterye which is the sacrament of hys remembraunce and memoriall of hys passion And after he addeth that we eate hys flesh and drinke hys bloud in the reading and knowledge of Scriptures and calleth that very meate and very drinke And yet I am sure ye are not so grosse as to thinke that the letters which you read are turned into naturall fleshe and bloud And likewise it is not necessary that the bread shoulde be turned into hys body no more then y e letters in scripture are turned into hys fleshe And neuerthelesse through â—ayth we may as well eate hys body in receauing of the sacrament as eate hys fleshe in reading of the letters of the Scripture Besides that S. Hierome calleth the vnderstanding of the Scripture very meate and very drinke which you must néedes vnderstand in a mystery and spirituall sense for it is neither materiall meate nor drinke that is receaued with the mouth and téeth but it is spirituall meate and drinke and is so called for a similitude propertie because that as meate and drink comfort the body and outward man so doth the readyng and knowledge of Scripture comfort the soule and inward man And likewise it is of Christes body which is called very meate and very drinke which you must néedes vnderstand in a mysterye or spirituall sense as S. Hierome called it for hys body is no materiall meate nor drinke that is receaued with the mouth or téeth but it is spirituall meate and drinke and so called for a similitude and propertie because that as meate and drinke comforteth the body so doth the fayth in hys body breaking and bloudsheding refreshe the soule vnto lyfe euerlastyng We vse it customably in our dayly speach to say when a childe setteth all hys mynde and delight on sport playe It is meate and drinke to thys childe to playe And also we say by a maÌ„ that loueth well hawking and hunting it is meate and drinke to this man to hawke hunt Where no man doubteth but it is a figuratiue speach And therefore I wonder that they are so blinde in thys one poynt of Christes body and can not also take the wordes figuratiuely as these olde Doctors dyd Agayne S. Hierome sayth Postq mysticum pascha fuerat impletum agni carnes cum Apostolis comederat assumit panem qui comfortat cor hominis ad verum paschae transgreditur sacramentum vt quomodo in praefiguratione eius Melchisedech summi Dei sacerdos vinum panem offerens fecerat ipse quoquè viritatem corporis sanguinis repraesentaret That is to say After the mystical Easter Lambe fulfilled and that Christ had eaten the Lambes fleshe with the Apostles he tooke bread which comforteth the hart of man and passeth to the true sacrament of the Easter LaÌ„be that as Melchisedech brought forth bread and wyne figuryng hym so might he likewyse represent the truth of hys body and bloud Here doth S. Hierome speake after the maner that Tertullian dyd before that Christ with bread and wyne dyd represent the truth of hys body For except he had had a true body he coulde not leaue a figure of it nor represent it vnto vs. For a vayne thyng or phaÌ„tasie can haue no figure nor can not be represented as by example how should a man make a figure of hys dreame or represent it vnto our memorye But Christ hath left vs a figure and representation of hys bodye in bread and wyne therefore it followeth that he had a true bodye And that this was S. Hieromes mynde it doth manifestly appeare by y e words of Beda which doth more copiously set out thys saying of Hierome For he writeth on thys maner Finitis paschae veteris solennijs quae in commemorationem antique de Aegypto liberationis agebantur transit ad nouum quod in suae redemptionis memoriam Ecclesia frequentare desiderat vt videlicet pro carne agni vel sanguine suae carnis sanguinisque sacramentum in panis ac vini figura substituens ipsum se esse monstraret cui inrauit Dominus non poenitebit eum Tu es sacerdos in aeternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech Frangit auteÌ„ipse panem quem porrigit vt ostendat corporis sui fractionem noÌ„ sine sua sponte futuram c. Et paulò post Similiter calicem postquam coenauit dedit eis Quia ergo panis carnem confirmat vinum vero sanguinem operatur in carne hic ad corpus Christi mystice illud refertur ad sanguinem That is to say After the solemnitie of the olde Easter Lambe was finished which was obserued in the remembraunce of the olde deliueraunce out of Egypt he goeth vnto the new which the Church gladly obserueth in the remembraunce of hys redemption that he in the stead of the fleshe and bloud of the Lambe might institute and ordayne the Sacrament of hys fleshe and bloud in the figure of bread and wyne and so declare hym selfe to be the same vnto whom the Lord sware and will not repent thou art a perpetuall Priest after
the sacrament of his body and bloud that that which was once offerd for the price of our redemption might continually be honored through the mistery To consecrate a thing is to aply it vnto an holy vse Here you may see y e he calleth it the sacrament of his body and bloud which body is caried vp in the heauen And also he calleth it a mistery whiche is inough for them that will see Also Druthmarius expoundeth these wordes this is my body on this manner Hoc est corpus meum in misterio That is to say this is my body in a mistery I thinke you know what a mistery meaneth Christ is crucified euery day in a mistery that is to say euery day his death is represeÌ„ted by the sacramentes of remembraunce The Masse is Christes passion in a mistery that is to say the Masse doth represent his passion and kéepeth it in our memory The bred is Christes body in a mistery that is to say it representeth his body that was broken for vs and kéepeth it in our remembraunce You haue heard all ready the mind of the doctours how the sacrament is Christes body And now I shall shew you how the sacrament is our body which doth not a litell helpe to the vnderstanding of these wordes which are in controuersie The sacrament of the aulter is our body as well as it is Christes body And euen as it is our body so is it Christes But there is no man that can say that it is our naturall bodie in déede but onely a figure signe memoriall or representation of our body Wherfore it must also followe that it is but onlye a figure signe memoriall or representation of Christes body The first part of this argumeÌ„t may thus be proued S. Austen wryting in a sermon sayth on this manner Corpus ergo Christi si vultis intelligere apostolum audite diceÌ„tem Vos estis corpus Christi meÌ„bra 1. Cor. 12. Si ergo estis corpus Christi et membra misterium vestrumque in meÌ„sa Dominipositum est misterium Domini accipitis ad id quod estis Amen respondetis respondendo subscribitis That is to say Yf you will vnderstand the body of Christ heare y e apostle which sayth ye are the body of Christ and members 1 cor 12. therfore if ye be the body of Christ members your misterie is put vpon the Lordes table yereceiue the misterie of the Lord vnto y e you are you aunswere Amen And in aunswering subscribe vnto it Here may you sée that the sacrament is also our body and yet is not our naturall body but onely our body in a misterie that is to say a figure signe memorial or representation of our body for as the bread is made of many graines or cornes so we though we be many are one bread one body And for this propertie and similitude it is cauled our body and beareth the name of the very thing which it doth represent and signifie Agayne S. Austen sayth Quia Christus passus est pro nobis commenda uit nobis in isto sacramento corpus et sanguinem suum quod etiam fecit nos ipsos Nam et nos ipsius corpus facti sumus per misericordiam ipsius quod accipimus nos sumus Et postea dicit IaÌ„ in nomine Christi tanquam ad calicem Domi ni venistis ibi vos estis in mensa ibi vos estis in calice That is because Christ hath suffered for vs he hath betaken vnto vs in this sacrament his bodie and bloud which he hath also made euen our selues For we also are made his body and by his mercy we are euen the same thing that we receiue And after he sayth now in y t name of Christ ye are come as a man would say to the chalice of the Lord there are ye vpon the table and there are ye in y t chalice Here you may sée that the sacrament is our body And yet it is not our naturall body but onely in a mistery as it is before sayd Furthermore S. Austen sayth HuÌ„c itaque cibum potum societatem vult intellegi corporis membrorum suorum quod est sancta ecclesia in praedestinatis et vocatis et iustificatis et glorisicatis sanctis fidelibus eius Huius rei sacrameÌ„tum alicubi quotidie alicubi certis inter vallis dieruÌ„ in dominico preparatur de mensa Domini sumitur quibusdaÌ„ ad vitam quibusdam ad exitium Res vero ipsa cuius est omni homini ad vitam nulli ad exitium quicuÌ„que cius particeps fuerit That is to say he will that this meat and drinke should be vnderstaÌ„d to be the felowship of his body meÌ„bers which is the holy Church in the predestinate and called and iustified and glorified his saintes faythfull The sacrament of this thing is prepared in some place dayly in some place at certaine appoynted dayes as on y e Sonday And it is receiued from the table of the Lord to some vnto life and to some vnto destruction but the thing it selfe whose sacrament this is is receiued of all men vnto life and of no man to destruction who so euer is partaker of it Here doth S. Austen first say that thys sacrament is the fellowship of hys bodye and members which are we And yet it is not our naturall bodye as is before sayd And then he sayth that the Sacrament of thys thyng is receaued of some vnto life and saluation and of some vnto death and damnation for both faythfull and vnfaythfull may receiue the sacrament And after he sayth that the thing it selfe whose sacrament it is is receiued of all men vnto lyfe and of no man vnto destruction who so euer is partaker of it And of this saying it must nedes follow that onely the saythfull eate Christes body and the vnfaithfull eate not For he is receiued of no maÌ„ vnto destruction And of this it must also follow that the sacrament is not Christes body in déede but onely in a mysterye for if the sacrament were his naturall bodye then should it follow that y â— vnfaithfull should receiue his bodye which is contrarye to the minde of S. Austen and against all truth Thus haue we sufficiently proued the first parte of our argument that the sacrament is our body as well as it is Christes And now will I proue the second part more plainely although it be inough declared all ready to them that haue eares that euen as it is our bodye so is it Christes Fyrst you shall vnderstand that in the wyne whiche is called Christes bloud is admixed water which doth signifie the people that are redemed with hys bloud so that y e head which is Christ is not without hys bodye which is the faythfull people nor the body without hys head Nowe if the wyne when it â—s consecrated
be turned bodely into Christes bloud then is it also neâ—essarye that the water which is admixed be bodely turned into the bloud of the faythfull people For where as is one consecration must follow one operatioÌ„ And where as is lyke reason there must followe lyke mystery But whatsoeuer is signified by the water as concerning the faythfull people is taken spiritually Therefore whatsoeuer is spoken of the bloud in the wine must also néedes be taken spiritually Thys reason is not myne but it is made by one Bartram vppon a 700. yeares since when thys matter was first in disputation Whereupon at the instance of great Charles the Emperor he made a booke professing euen the same thyng that I do and proueth by the olde Doctors faythfull fathers that the Sacrament is Christes body in a mystery that is to say a signe figure or memoriall of hys body which was broken for vs and not hys naturall body And therefore that doctrine is new which other wyse teacheth not mine which is not myne but the doctrine of Christ and of the olde fathers of Christes Church till Antichrist began to sit and reigne in the temple of God Besides that Cyprian sayth that the people is annexed in the Sacrament through the mixture of water Therefore I maruell me much that they are so contentious and will not sée that as the water is the people so the wyne is Christes bloud that is to say in a mystery because it representeth Christes bloud as y e water doth the people Furthermore Eusebius sayth DuÌ„ in sacramentis vino aqua miscetur Christo fidelis populus incorporatur iungitur quandam ei copula perfecta charitatis vnitur That is to say Whiles in the Sacrament water is admixte with the wyne the faythfull people is incorporate and ioyned with Christ and is made one with hym with a certayn knot of perfite charitie Now where he sayth that we are ioyned and incorporate with Christ what fondnesse were it to contend sith we are there onely in a mystery and not naturally to contend I say with such pertinacitie that hys naturall bodye must be there and not rather that he is ioyned with vs as we are ioyned with hym and both in a mystery by the knot of perfite charitie The young man perceaueth well inough that an allegorie vsed in some place is not a cause sufficient to leaue the proper significations of Gods word in euery other place and seeke an allegorie and forsake the playne common sense For he confesseth that he would not so do saue for necessitie because as he sayth that the coÌ„mon literall sense is impossible For the thing he saith that is ment therby caÌ„ not be true That is to witte that the very body of Christ can be in the sacrament because the sacrament is in many diuers places at once and was at the Maundy that is to witte in the handes of Christ and euery of his Apostles mouthes And at that time it was not glorified And then he sayth that Christes body not being glorified could no more be in two places at once then his owne can And yet he goeth after further and sayth no more it can wheÌ„ it is glorified too And that he proueth by the saying of Saint Austen whose wordes be that the bodye with which Christ arose must be in one place c. Hetherto hath M. More reasoned reasonably but now he beginneth to decline from the dignitie of diuinitie into the dirtie dregges of vayne sophistrye For where I say that I must of necessitie séeke an allegorie because the literall sense is impossible and caÌ„ not be true meaning that it can not stand with the processe of Scripture but that other textes doe of necessitis constrayne me to construe it spiritually There catcheth he thys worde can and thys worde impossible and woulde make men beleue that I ment it coulde not bee true because reason can not reach it but thinketh it impossible And there he triuÌ„pheth before the victory and would know what article of our fayth I coulde assigne in which reason shall noâ—driue awaye the strength of my proofe and make me leaue y e literall sense wherin my proofe shoulde stand and send me to séeke an allegorye that might stand with reason and driue away y e fayth But now deare brethren sith I speak not of the impossibilitie of reason but of the impossibilitie to stand with other textes of Scripture ye may sée y t thys royall reasoÌ„ is not worth a rush TheÌ„ would he fayne know the place where S. Austen so sayth which thing although it were harde for me to tell sith I haue not hys bookes to looke for it yet I thanke God my memorye is not so bad but I caÌ„ shew hym where he shall finde it And because I thinke that hee is more accustomed to the Popes lawes then to Saint Austens workes sith hee is become the Prelates proctour and patrone I say he shall not fayle but find it in hys lawes de consecratione And where as hee would wrest the words of S. Austen which sayth that the bodye in which Christ arose must néedes bee in one place saying that he might meane not that hys body myght not be in diuers places at once but that it muste be in one place that is to say in some one place or other he speaketh sayth M. More nothyng of the sacrament nor sayth not hys body with which he rose must néedes be in one place that it can by no possibilitie be in any moe Thys seemeth to some a goodly glose and yet it shall proue but a vayne euasion For if a man woulde saye that the kings graces body must be in one place and then an other woulde expound y e notwithstaÌ„dyng hys wordes hys graces body might be in two places at once I thinke meÌ„ myght soone iudge that he delighted to delaye and myght say what néede bee to determine that he must be in one place except he thought in deede y â— he myght be in no moe but onely one And though men myght so argue on other mens words yet of S. Austens words thys must néedes follow for he bringeth them in as God would by a contrary Antithesis saying Corpus in quo resurrexit in vno loco esse oportet veritas autem eius vbique diffusa est That is to say Hys body wherein he rose must be in one place but hys truth is dispersed in all places Where he plainly concludeth by the coÌ„trary Antithesis that as hys truth is dispersed in all places so must hys body néedes be in one place onely As by example if a man shoulde say The kyng hys graces bodye must needes be in one place but hys power is throughout hys realme Where no maÌ„ doubteth but that in saying one place he meaneth one place onely And therefore though in some place y e worde must doth
not signifie such a necessitie as excludeth all possibilitie yet in thys place it doth so signifie as the contrary Antithesis doth euidently expresse And where ye say that he speaketh nothing of the sacrament I would ye should sticke still to that saying For thys is playne that he speaketh of his naturall body and therefore if hee speake not of y e sacrament then haue you concluded that the sacrament is not hys naturall body the contrary whereof you would haue meÌ„ beleue Thus haue I shewed euidence both where he shall finde the wordes of S. Austen and also that I haue rightly alleaged them Notwithstandyng sith he maketh so much of hys paynted sheth I shall alleage hym more authoritye that Christes naturall body is in one place onely Which thyng proued doth vtterly conclude y t the SacrameÌ„t is not his naturall body but only a memoriall and a representation of the same And first let vs sée S. Austens mynde S. Austen writyng vnto Dardanus doth playnly proue that the naturall body of Christ must néedes be in one place only and also y t his soule can bée but in one place at once The occasioÌ„ of his Epistle is this Dardanus dyd write vnto S. Austen for the expositioÌ„ of those wordes that Christ spake vn to the theefe saying This day shalt thou be w t me in Paradise and wist not how he should vnderstaÌ„d it whether Christ meÌ„t that the théefe should be in Paradise with Christes soule or with his body or with his Godhead Thereupon S. Austen writeth that as touchyng Christes body that day it was in the sepulchre And saith that it was not Paradise although it were in a gardeÌ„ that he was buryed For Christ he sayth ment of a place of ioy And that was not sayth S. Austen in hys sepulchre And as for Christes soule it was that day in hel and no man will say that Paradise was there Wherefore sayth S. Austen the text must néedes bee vnderstand that Christ spake it of his Godhead Now marke this Argument of S. Austen and ye shall sée my purpose playnly proued For seing he erpoundeth this text vpoÌ„ Christes Godhead because his manhode as touching the body was in the graue and as touchyng his soule was in hell you may soone perceiue that S. Austen thought that whilest his body was in y e graue it was not in Paradise to because his soule was in hell it could not be in paradise also And therfore he verâ—o fieth the text vppon his diuinitie For if he had thought that Christes body or soule might haue bene in diuerse places at once hee would not haue sayd that the text must néedes be vnderstand of his diuinitie but it might full well yea much better haue ben vnderstand of his manhode Marke well this place which doth determine the doubt of this matter Notwithstandyng the faythfull father leaueth not the matter on this fashion but also taketh away such sonde imaginations as would cause men to surmise that Christes body should be in moe places at once then one For he saith Cauendum est ne it a diuinitatem astruamus hominis vt veritateÌ„ auser amus corporis Non est autem consequens vt quod in Deo est it a sit vbique Nam de nobis veracissime Scriptura dicit quod in illo viuimus mouemur sumus Nec tameÌ„ sicut ille vbique sumus sed aliter homo ille in Deo quoniaÌ„ aliter Deus in illo homine proprio quodam singulari modo Vna enim persona Deus homo est vtrumque est vnus Christus Iesus vibque per id quod Deus est in coelo autem per id quod homo That is to say we must beware that we doe not so affirme the diuinitie of the man that we take away the truth of his body For it foloweth not that the thyng whiche is in God should be in euery place as God is For the Scripture doth truly testifie on vs that we lyue moue and be in hym And yet are we not in euery place as he is Howbeit that man is otherwise in God and God otherwise in that man by a certaine peculiar and singular way For God and maÌ„ is one person and both of them one Christ Iesu whiche is in euery place in that he is God and in heauen in that he is maÌ„ Here S. Austen doth say that if we should grauÌ„t Christ to be in all places as touchyng his manhode we should take awaye the truth of his body For though his manhode be in God and God in hys manhode yet it foloweth not that it should bee in euery place as God is And after hee concludeth that as touchyng hys Godhead hee is in euery place and as touchyng his manhode hee is in heauen What néede he to make these woordes and Antithesis but because hee thought verely that though hys Godhead were in euery place yet his manhode was in heauen onely But yet this holy Doctour goeth further so that they may be ashamed of their party and sayth Secundum hominem namque in terra erat non in coelo vbi nunc est quando dicebat nemo ascendit in coeluÌ„ nisi qui descendit de coelo filius hominis qui est in coelo That is to say as touching his manhod he was in the earth and not in heauen where he now is when he sayd no man ascendeth into heauen but he y e descended from heauen the sonne of man which is in heaueÌ„ Now I trust you will be content and let the truth spred For I am sure it is not possible for you to auoyde it for he sayeth that as touching his manhode he was in the earth and not in heauen when he spake those wordes so proued that he was not in mo places at once then onely one place For els yf S. Austen had thought y e he could haue bene in mo places at once then one with his body then might he not haue sayd that he was in earth and not in heauen For then a man might sone haue deluded hym haue sayde you can not tell for he may be in euery place But they that so thinke after S. Austens mynde do take away y e truth of his naturall body and make it a very phantasticall body from the which heresie God deliuer his faythfull Besides this S. Austen doth saye Christum Dominum nostrum vnigenitum DEI â—ilium equaleÌ„ patri eundemque hominis filium quo maior est pater vbique totum presentem esse non dubites tanquam Deum in eodem templâ— DEI esse verum DE VM in aliena parte coeli propter corpo ris modum That is to say doubt not but that Christ our Lord the onely begotten sonne of God equall to the Father and the same being the sonne of man wherin the father is greater is hole present in all places as
touching hys Godhed and dwelleth in the same temple of God as God and in some place of heauen for the conditioÌ„ of his very body Here is it euident by S. Austens wordes that as touching his godhed he is in all places and as touching his manhode he is onlye in heauen yea and not that onely but that he being in heauen as touching the measure nature condicion and qualitye of his naturall body is only in one certaine place in heauen and not in many places at once Thus much is proued out of S. Austen Thys truth is not onely proued by S. Austens authoritie but also by y e noble clerke Fulgentius which writeth on this maner Vnus idemque homo localis ex homine qui est Deus immensus ex patre vnus idemque secundum bumanam substaÌ„tiam absens coelo cum esset in terra derelinquens terram cum ascendisset in coelum Secundum dâ—â—inam vero immensamque substantiam nec coeluÌ„ dimittens cum de coelo descendit nec terram deserens cum ad coelum ascendit Quod ipsius Domini certissimo sermone potest cognosci qui vt localem ostenderet suam humanitatem dicit Discipulis suis Ascendo ad patrem meum patrem vestrum Deum meum Deum vestrum De Lazaro quoque cum dixisset Lazarus mortuus est adiunxit dicens gaudeo propter vos vt credatis quoniaÌ„ non eraÌ„ ibi immensitatem vero suae diâ—initatis ostendens Discipulis dicit Ecce ego vobiscum sum vsque ad consummationem sâ—culi Quomodo autem ascendit in coelum nisi quia localis verus est homo aut quomodo adest fidelibus suis nisi quia ideÌ„ immensus verus Deus est That is to say The same one man is locall that is to say conteined in one place as touchyng his manhode which is also God vnmeasurable from the father the same one man as touchyng the substaunce of his manhode was absent from heauen when hee was in earth and forsakyng the earth when he ascended into heauen but as touchyng his godly vnmeasurable substaunce neither forsoke heauen wheÌ„ he descended from heaueÌ„ nor forsoke the earth when he asceÌ„ded vnto heauen Which may be knowen by the most sure word of the Lord which to shew his humanitie to be locall that is to say contained in one place onely dyd say vnto his Disciples I asceÌ„d vnto my father and your father my God and your God of Lazarus also when hee sayd Lazarus is dead hee said further I am glad for your sakes that you may beleue for that I was not there And agayne shewyng the vnmeasurablenesse of his Godhead he sayd vnto his Disciples behold I am with you vnto the worldes ende how dyd he ascende into heauen but because he is locall and a very man Or how is he present vnto his faythfull but because he is vnmeasurable very God Here may you conclude by the authority of this Doctour also that Christes body is onely in one place at once For he saith that Christ as touchyng his manhood is locall that is to say conteined in one place onely And that hee proueth by the Scripture euen of Christes owne woordes Now if this be true as my conscience doth testifie how so euer other men shall Iudge then must it néedes folow that his naturall body can not be in the Sacrament And the authoritie I am sure no man can auoyde it is so playne Now as for his natural reasoÌ„s be not worthy the reasonyng For first that the body of Christ vnglorified could no more be in ij places at once then his owne can because he is a naturall body as he is I will not examine no coÌ„parison betwen there ij bodyes but if Christ wold tell me that he would eche of both their bodyes to be in fiftene places at once I would beleue hym and would neuer aske hym whether he would first glorifie them or not But I am sure glorified or vnglorified if he sayd it hee is able to do it For the matter is not impossible to God Truth it is that if Christ so sayd in so saying so meÌ„t there is no doubt but he were able so to do But that he in déede so grossely ment ye shall neuer proue And in déede if he had so meant that hys owne body naturall should haue continued in the Sacrament which is the meate of the soule through fayth and not of the body by eatyng it and may as well be eaten through faith although it remayne in heauen as if it were here present to our mouthes if I say he had so ment theÌ„ wold he neuer haue geueÌ„ vs such Scriptures as he dyd For I say that this grosse imagination may not staÌ„d with the processe of the Scripture whiche is receiued as it shall appeare by certaine textes 1. First where our Sauiour sayth y e flesh profiteth nothyng The waight of those woordes doth compell vs to vnderstaÌ„d our matter spiritually for by this short sentence we are no lesse plucked backe froÌ„ the carnall eatyng theÌ„ was Nichodemus that he should not once dreame of the carnall regeneratioÌ„ when Christ sayd vnto hym that what soeuer was of y t flesh was flesh For this is a playne conclusion that when Christ sayd the flesh profiteth nothyng hee ment it euen of hys own flesh that it could not profite as they vnderstode hym to be eateÌ„ with the téeth Albeit it doth much profite to bee slayne for our redemption and eaten thorough fayth Whiche thyng we may do although his natural flesh be not in y e sacrament For I may as well beleue in hym though he be in heauen as if he were in earth and in the Sacrament before myne eyes And that Christ spake these woordes of his owne body it is playne by S. Austens wordes writyng vppon the same place And therefore he sayth that they must be vnderstand spiritually and addeth if thou vnderstand them spiritually they are spirite and lyfe And though thou vnderstaÌ„d theÌ„ carnally yet neuertheles they are spirite and lyfe But vnto thée they are not spirite and lyfe which vnderstandest not spiritually those things that I haue spoken Also Athanasius sayth Spiritus est qui viuificat caro noÌ„ prodest quicque verba quae ego locutus sum spiritus sunt vita Nam hoc loco vtrumquè de seipso dicit carnem spiritum spirituÌ„ ab eo quod est secundum carnem distinxit vt non solum visibile sed etiam inuisibile quod in ipso erat credentes discant quod ea quae dicit noÌ„ sunt carnalia sed spiritualia Quod enim comedeÌ„tibus suffecisset corpus vt totius mundi alimonia fiat Sed ea propter meminit ascensus filij hominis in coelum vt illos a corporali cogitatione auelleret posthac discant carnem dictam cibum coelestem superne venieÌ„tem
euē it that I sayd before that it was not possible to stand with the processe of the Scripture which we haue receaued And now hys mastership hath graunted it hym selfe which you may be sure he would not haue done if hee coulde otherwyse auoyde it And here you may see how sore I haue ouerséene my selfe God forbid that any man should be the more prone ready to beleue this yong man in this greate matter because he sayth in the beginning that he will bring all men to a concord a quietnes of conscience for he bringeth men to the worst kinde of quietnes that may be deuised when he telleth vs as he doth that euery man in this matter may without perell beleue which way he list Euery man may in euery matter without any counsell sone set hym self at rest if he list to take that way and to beleue as he list him selfe care not how But and if that way had bene sure S. Paule would neuer haue shewed that many were in perill of sicknes and death to For lacke of discerning reuerently the body of our Lord in that sacrament when they came to receiue hym When Christ should depart this world and go to his Father he gaue his desciples a commaundement that they should loue ech other saying by this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples if you loue ech other as I haue loued you This rule of charitie wolde I not haue broken which notwithstanding is often in Ieopardie among faythfull folke for this sacrament of vnitie This thing considered I thought necessarie to aduertise both parties to saue this rule of charitie and proued in y e first chapter of my treatise that it was no article of the fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnatiō and therfore that they were to blame that would be contencious for the matter For sith it is no article of the fayth that may lawfully dissent without all Ieoperdye néede not to breake the rule of charitye but rather to receiue the other like pore brethren As by example Some thinke that the mariage betwéene our most redoubted prince Quéene Katerine is lawfull may stand with y ◠lawes of God some thinke that it is vnlawfull and ought to be disanulled now if we should for this matter breake the rule of charitie and euery man hate his neighbour that would not thinke as he doth then were we greatly to blame and in Ieoperdie of condemnation This I say I proued in y e first chapter against which More maketh no busines and improueth it not whereby you may soone gather that it is very true For els sith his mastership so laboureth in these other pointes he would not haue left y ◠vntouched you may be sure This is the concorde that I woulde bring them vnto And as touching quietnes of conscience I haue knowne manye that haue sore bene combred with it And among all A certaine master of arte which died in Oxford confessed vpon his death bed that he had wept lying in his bed an hundreth nyghtes within one yeares space because he coulde not beleue it Now if he had knowne it had bene no necessarye article what comfort quietnes should it haue bene vnto hym Furthermore euery man can not so quiet him selfe as M. More Imagineth For there are many that thinke them selues no small fooles which when they haue receiued some foolish superstition eyther by their owne Imagination or by beleuing their gossepes gospel and olde wiues tales by and by thinke the contrary to be deadly sinne and vtterly forbidden by Christes Gospell As by example I know an house of Religion wherein is a person that thinketh it deadly sinne to go ouer a strawe if it lye a crosse And if their be on the pauement any paynted picture or any Image grauen on a dead mans graue he will not tread vpon it although he should goe a forelong about What is this but vayne superstition wherewith the conscience is combred and corrupted May not this be wéeded out with the word of God shewing hym that it is none article of the fayth so to thinke then to tell hym that it is not forbidden by the scripture and that it is no sinne Now albeit his conscience be so cankerd that the rust will not be rubbed out yet with Gods grace some other whom he hath enfecte with the same may come agayne to Gods word and be cured full well which shoulde neuer haue bene able to quiet thēselues And likewise there are some which beleue as your superstitious hartes haue informed them and these can not quiet thēselues because they beleue y e you haue fet your doctrine out of scripture But when it is proued to them and they them selues perceiue that scripture sayth not so then can they not be content to thinke the contrary and iudge it no sinne at all And as touching S. Paule suerely ye take hym wrong for I will shew you what processe he taketh and how he is to be vnderstode but because it is not possible to finishe it in fewe words I shall deferre it vnto y e bokes ende and then I shall declare hym at large And what a facion is this to say that we may beleue if we list that there is the very body of our Lord in dede and then to tell vs for a truth that such a fayth is impossible to be true For God him selfe can neuer bring it about to make his body be there Yf a man take the bare wordes of Christ and of simplicitie be deceiued and thinke that his very body be in y e sacrament present to their téeth that eate it I dare not say that he sinneth therein but will referre the matter vnto Gods iudgement and yet without doubt I dare say he is deceaued As by example If a man deceaued by the literall sense would think that men should preach to fishes as Saint Fraunces did because Christ bad his disciples goe preach to all creatures yet would not I thinke y t he sinned therein but will referre hym vnto Gods Iudgment But yet I wene euery woman that hath any wit will say that he was deceiued I am very sure that the olde holy doctours which beleued Christes body and bloud to be there and so taught other to beleue as by there bookes playnly doth apere if they had thought eyther that it could not be there or that it was not ther in dede they would not for all the good in this world haue written as they haue done For would those holy men wene you haue taught that men be bound to beleue that the very body and bloud of Christ is there if thē selues thought they were not bound there to woulde they make men honoure and worship that thing as the very body bloud of Christ which them selues thought were not it this geare is to childish to
speake This the old Doctours and faythfull fathers so taught or thought as ye fayne of them is very false For S. Austen as I haue shewed maketh wholly for vs. Besides that there is none of the old fathers but they call it a Sacrament a misterie and misticall meate whiche is not eaten with tooth or bely but with eares fayth And touchyng the honour and worshyp done vnto it I say it is playne Idolatry And I say that he falsely reporteth on the old holy doctours For they neuer taught men to worship it neither cā he alledge one place in any of them all which would haue men to worshyp the Sacrament Peraduenture he may alledge me certaine new fellowes for his purpose as Dunce Dorbell Durand such draffe which by their doctrine haue drenched the world with damnable Idolatrie But I speake of the old holy fathers Doctors as S. Austē Ambrose Hierom Cyprian Cirille Chrisostome Fulgentius and such other these I say do not teach mē to worshyp it and by that I dare abide Of this point I am so sure that I will vse it for a contrary argument that his naturall body is not there present For if the holy fathers before named had taken this text after the letter and not onely spiritually then in there woorkes they would haue taught men to worshyp it but they neuer taught men to worshyp this Sacrament therfore it foloweth they tooke not the text after the letter but onely spiritually Now do I prouoke you to séeke a proofe of your purpose Neuerthelesse I will not deny but y ◠these holy Doctors in diuers places do call it his body as Christ and Paule do so do we likewise and say also that his very body is there eaten But yet we meane that it is eaten with fayth that is to say by beleuing y t his body was brokē for vs and haue his body more in memory at this maundy then the meate that we there eate And therfore it hath the name of his body because the name it selfe should put vs in remembraunce of his body and that his body is there chiefly eaten euen more through fayth then the meate with the mouth And so are they also to be vnderstand Yet one great pleasure he doth vs in that he putteth vs all at libertie that we may without perill of damnatiō beleue as we did before that is to witte that in the blessed Sacrament the whole substance of the bread and the wine is transmuted chaunged into the very body and bloud of Christ For if we may without perill of damnation beleue thus as him selfe graunteth that we may then graunteth hee that we may also without perill of damnation beleue that him selfe lieth where hee sayth the truth of that beleefe is impossible The beleuing of thys poynt is of it self not damnable as it is not damnable to thinke that Christ is a very stone or a vine because the litterall sense so sayth or if you beleue that you ought to preach to fishes and goe Christen them an other while as ye do belles And I insure you if there were no worse mischiefe that ensued of thys beléefe then it is in it selfe I would neuer haue spoken agaynst it But now there followeth vppon it damnable idolatry For through the beléefe that thys body is there mē fall downe and worship it And thinking to please God do damnably sinne agaynst hym Thys I say is the cause that I so earnestly write agaynst it to auoyde the idolatry that is committed through it Part of the Germanes do thinke that his naturall body is present in the Sacrament and take the woordes fleshly as Martine taught them But none of them worshyp it for y ◠Martine forbyddeth both in hys wordes and workes and so blessed be god they auoyde that ieoperdy which thyng if you will also graunt and publish but this one proposition that it ought not to bee worshypped I promise you I will neuer write agaynst it For then is the ieoperdy taken away and then I am cōtent that your mastershyp thinke I lye But in the meane seasō I must thinke that ye fill the world with damnable Idolatry And thus haue you also aūswere vnto y e conclusion which you alledge out of the kynges graces booke For I say in your way is no hurt as lōg as you do but onely beleue the bare wordes of the text as S. Fraunces dyd whē he preached to fishes But if through the occasion of those wordes ye fall into the worshypping of it then I say that in your way is vndoubted damnation And so is there great ieoperdy in your way none at all in ours For though he were there in déede yet doe not we sinne if we worshyp it not for we are not commaunded to worshyp the Sacrament But if he be not there then do you commit damnable Idolatry ¶ The consecration of the Sacrament NOwe as for an other quietnes of euery mās conscience this young man biddeth euery mā be bold whether the blessed Sacrament be consecrate or vnconsecrate for though he most especially speaketh of the wyne yet he speaketh it of both byddeth vs not care but take it for all that vnblessed as it is because the Priest hee sayth can not deceiue vs nor take from vs the profit of Christes institution whether hee alter the woordes or leaue them all vnsayd Is not this a wonderful doctrine of this young man We wotte well all that the Priest can not hurt vs by his ouersight or malice if there be no fault vpon our owne partie for that perfection that lacketh on the Priestes part the great mercy of God as we trust of his owne goodnes supplyeth And therfore as holy Chrisostome sayth no man can take harme but of him selfe But now if we see the thyng disordered our owne selfe by the Priest and Christes institution broken if we then wittyngly receiue it vnblessed vnconsecrated care not whether Christes institutiō be kept and obserued or no but rekon that it is as good without it as with it then make we our selues partakers of the fault and leese the profit of the Sacramēt and receiue it with damnation not for the Priestes fault but for our owne I had thought that no Turke wold haue wrested a mans woordes so vnfaythfully for hee leaueth out all the pith of my matter for my wordes are these I will shew you a meanes how ye shall euer receiue it accordyng to Christes institution although the Priest would withdraw it from you First ye néede to haue no respect vnto the Priests wordes which ministreth it For if ye remember for what intēt Christ dyd institute this Sacrament and know that it was to put vs in remembraunce of hys body breakyng bloud shedding that we might geue hym thankes for it and bee as sure of it through fayth accordyng to his promises as we are sure
such thynges as will not stand with hys word then will I determine that it is done by the deuill to delude the people with damnable idolatrye When Paule and Barnabas preached at Listra and had done a miracle among them the people ranne and would haue done sacrifice vnto them But the Apostles ranne among them and tare their clothes crying vnto them syrs what do you we are euen corruptible men as ye are and preach vnto you that you should leaue thys vayne superstition and worship the liuing God which made heauen earth the sea and all that is in them c. Here the Apostles refused such honour worship And therefore I am sure they would not suffer their images to haue it Now when I see a miracle done at any image and perceaue that it bringeth men to the worshipping of it self contrary to the facte and doctrine of the Apostles which would not receaue it them selues I must néedes conclude that it is but a delusion done by the deuill to deceaue vs and to bryng the wrath of God vppon vs. Euen so I say of the sacrament sith the miracles that are done by it do make mē thinke otherwise then Scripture will and cause men to worship it I doubt not but they are done by the deuill to delude the people Thou wilt peraduenture say that God will not suffer hym to abuse the sacrament of hys body and bloud Yes verely God will suffer it and doth suffer it to see whether we will be faythfull and abide by hys worde or not And maruell not therof for God suffered hym to take vp the very naturall body of hys sonne Christ and set him on a pinnacle of the temple And after he tooke hym vp agayne and lead hym to an exceding mountaine And therfore thinke not but that he hath more power ouer the Sacrament then he had ouer Christes owne body And therfore whē they tell me loe here is Christ loe there is Christ as Christ prophecied loe he is at thys altar loe he is at that I will not beleue them Neuerthelesse if I should graunt that all y e miracles which were done and ascribed vnto the sacramēt were very true miracles and done of God him selfe as I doubt not but some of them be true yet thereupon it doth not followe that the sacrament should be the very naturall body of Christ For we haue euident storyes that certayne persons haue bene deliuered from bodely diseases through the Sacrament of baptisme And yet y ◠water is not the holy Ghost nor the very thyng it selfe whereof it is a sacrament The shadow of Peter hath healed many and yet was not that shadow Peters owne person We read also that napkins and handkerchers were caryed from Paule vnto them that were sicke possessed with vncleane spirites and they receaued theyr health And yet it were neuerthelesse madnesse to thinke y e Paules body had bene actually or naturally in those thynges And therefore thys is but a very weake reason to iudge by the miracles y e presence of Christes body And surely you might be ashamed to make so slender reasons For God may worke miracles through many thinges which are not hys naturall body And as touchyng the olde Doctors whom you fayne to make with you and the truth of your opinion which you say hath bene beleued of all good Christen people this xv C. yeares is sufficiētly declared before and proued to be but a poynt of your olde Poetrie ¶ D. Barnes did graciously escape M. Mores hands ANd also Frier Barnes albeit that as ye wote well he is in many other thinges a brother of this yong mans secte yet in this he sore abhorreth his heresie or els he lyeth him selfe For at his last being here he wrote a letter to me wherin he writeth that I laye that heresie wrōgfully to hys charge And shew eth him selfe so sore greued therewith that he sayth he will in my reproch make a booke against me wherin he will professe and protest his fayth concerning this blessed sacrament But in the meane season it well contenteth me that Frier Barnes being a man of more age of more ripe discretion and a Doctor of diuinitie and in those thinges better learned then this young man is abhorreth this yongmans heresie in this poynt as well as he liketh him in many other The more your mastershyppe prayseth Doctour Barnes the worse men may like your matter For in many poyntes he doth condemne your damnable doctrine as in hys booke appeareth And therfore if such credence must be geuen to hym then much the lesse will be geuen to you But peraduēture you wil say y ◠he is to bée beleued in this point although he erre in other Where vnto I aunswere that if you will consent vnto him I would be well apayd and will promise you to wright no more in that matter For in this we both agrée that it ought not to be worshiped yea and blessed be God all the other whom you call heretickes And so both of vs do auoyde Idolatry which you with so great daunger do daylye commit And therfore if you alowe his learning then am I content that you dissent from me For let it not be worshiped and thinke as you will for then is the perillpast And sith we agrée in this poynt doubt not but we shall sone agrée in the residue and admitte ech other for faythfull brothers And your mastership sayeth that he wrot you a letter protesting that you lay y ◠heresie wrongfully to his charge I thinke it was more wisdom for him twise to haue written to you then once to haue come and tell you of it For it was plainely told hym y e you had conspired his death and that not withstanding his safe conduyte you were minded to haue murthered him and for that cause he was compelled both being here to kéepe him selfe secreatly and also priuely to departe the realme And blessed be God you haue sufficienly published your purpose in your aunswere against W. Tyndall Where you say that you might lawfully haue burnte hym Here mē may sée how perciable you are addict to our prelates And how prone ye were to fulfill their pleasures contrary to our Princes prerogatiue royall And thankes bee to GOD whiche gaue you such grace in the sight of our soueraigne that he shortly withdrewe your power For els it is to be feared that you would further haue proceded agaynst his graces prerogatiue which thyng whether it be treason or not let other men define But this I dare say that it is Printed and published to our Princes great dishonour For what learned man may in tyme to come trust to hys graces safeconduite or come at his graces instaūce or request sith not onely the spiritually whiche of their profession resiste hys prerogatiue but also a laye man promoted to such preheminence by hys graces goodnes
Iudic. 20. Here note that the children of Israell fought at Gods commaundement and in a righteous cause yet were twise ouerthrowen 1. Macha 3 M. More Frith Christe spake of no carnall eating of him but of a spirituall catyng by sayth The Papistes doe falsly alledge this text Aug. in IohaÌ„ tract 26 To beleue in Christ is to dwell in Christ Math. 26. Iohn 6. Iohn 15. Iohn 10. Gene. 35. Gene. 32. Ieremy 19 More Frith Roma 4. 1. Cor. 10. Iohn 15. Iohn 10. Osea 17. Math. 2. The Scripture speaketh diuersly and hath diuers senses M. More More is a mocker and trifler Frith In aunswere to Mores triflyng Eucharistia The right cause why we should come to the Table of our Lord. More hath here a cheke mate M. More Frith Why certeine places of y e Scripture must be vnderstand spiritually M. More Frith No man is to be beleued that bryngeth hys owne iudgement onely vpon any senteÌ„ce of Scripture More is here pretely â—…ypped M. More Frith Iohn 6. Note here the saying of S. Austen How the fleshe of Christ profiteth nothyng and how it doth profite Frith vseth not wordes without alledgyng authorities Augustinus in sermone ad infantes Augu. 54. The Iewes vnderstode Christ carnally and not spiritually as he meant M. More fallen into the errour of pope In nocent Aug. Lib. 3. de doctrina Christiana Here S. Augustine sheweth plainly that Christes woordes were a figuratiue spech Augustinus in sermone ad infantes Origi in leus ho. 7. Christes wordes are spirituall and not carnall Augusti sermo eirca sacra feria Pascha The eating drinkyng of Christ what it is Idem Beda super 1. Cor. 10. The wicked eate not the fleshe of Christ Roma 5. August de ciuitat dei li. 21. ca. 25. Beda super 1. Cor. 6. The sacrament is a figure token and a memoriall of the breaking of Christes body sheding of hys bloud Ambros de sacra Lib. 5 cap. 4. Prosp in libro sententiaruÌ„ sent 339. Idem Beda super 1. Cor. 11. More Frith More hath no olde author to maintaine hys quareling Papistry The Papistes haue corrupted the Scriptures and aduaunced them selues aboue Kinges and rulers Articles of our fayth made by the Pope To beleue the articles contayned in our crede is sufficient for our saluation Frith allegeth authorities to proue hys doctrine true Tertul. lib. 2. contra MarcioneÌ„ Tertul. lib. 4. contra MarcioneÌ„ This is my body that is to say a figure of my body August in prafa Psal 3. Christ deliuered to his desciples the figure of hys body August super Psal 98. S. Austen ad BonifaciuÌ„ Epist. 23. The sacrament is the memoriall of Christes death The sacrament of Christes body and bloud after a maner is Christes body and bloud Good Friday next is called the day that Christ suffered hys passion and yet it is not so for that good Friday is past loÌ„g sâ—â—hens Frith writeth of the Masse according to the coÌ„mon opinioÌ„ that was at that time After a certaine maner the Sacrament of Christes bodye is Christes body August contra AdamaÌ„ tum cap. 12 Christe gaue to his Disciples the signe of his body Ambrosi super illud mortem domini annuÌ„â—ia Ambrosi de sacra Lib. 4 Cap. 4. Ambrosi Libro 4. de Sacramen Cap. 5. The Sacrament is a figure of Christes body Hieroni. super eccle Cap. 3. We eate the very flesh of Christ drinke hys bloud in a mystery The vnder standyng of the Scripture is very meate very drinke Christes body is no materiall meate or drinke Hieronimus super Math. 26. Where there is no true body there can beno figure of the same Beda super Luke 22. Bread and wiâ—â—e is mistically referred to the body bloud of Christ A Sacrament what it is Ad Marcellum Bread and wyne represent vnto vs the flesh and bloud of Christ Chrisosto super Math. 26. Sacrifice Christes body a sacrifice offered on the crosse once for all Chrisosto ad Hebre. Home 17. The Sacrifice that we offer in bread and wyne is the remembraunce of Christes death Roma 6. As S. Austen declareth afore ad Bonifacum The masse is called a sacrifice be cause it representeth the death passion of Christ that was sacrificed on the Crosse Chrisost super Math. 〈◊〉 Christ by drinkyng of the cup dyd shewe the mistery and that it was no naturall nor carnall bloud Super Ioh. cap. 6. Hoâ—… 46. All misteryes must be considered spiritually The plaine saying of Chrisostome â—uâ—pentius 〈◊〉 Lib. de 〈◊〉 The Sacrament of Christes body is a thankes Seuyng Fulgentius This cup is the new TestameÌ„t is as much as this cup signifieth the new testament Eusebius Consecrat Druthmarius The Sacrament how it is our body Augustinus in sermone adâ—…fantes Aug. in sermo de sacraferia pascha Here you may see that y â— Sacrament is our body August de sacra feria pascha S. Austen calleth it by the name of SacrameÌ„t meanyng the figure signe or token of Christes bodyâ—… The wâ—…ked and vnfaythfull do not receaue the body of Christ and yet they receaue the SacrameÌ„t to their daÌ„nation The Sacrament as it is our body so it is Christes Note well this argument Bartram The Sacrament is Christes body in a mystery Cyprianus adâ—… As water is the people so wine is Christes bloud Eusebius By ytâ—…ture of water y t faithfull people are in corporate with Christ M. More â—rith More is a captious Sophister 〈◊〉 subâ—â—le Poet and 〈◊〉 malicious Papist More is better acquainted with the Popes lawes them with S. Austens workes Ad Hiâ—râ—nimum Christes body occupieth one place onely August ad BardanuÌ„ What Christ ment by thys worde Paradise How S. Austen laboureth to proue that Christes body might not be in ino places at once then in one If we affirme that the body of Christ is in many places at one mstant theÌ„ we should take away the truth of his body Augustin ibideâ—s Austen Christ as touching his Godhead is in all places Fulgentius Christ ascended into heauen because he is locall and a very man More Frith The flesh profiteth nothing The fleshe of Christ profiteth much if it be eaten with fayth August tract super 6. 〈◊〉 Athanasius 3. lib. qui dix verb. lâ—…ram The bread and wyne in the Sacrament why they are called mysteries If the Sacrament of the body of Christ were his natural body theÌ„ note what inconueniences must folow The wicked may not nor can not eate the body of Christ The wicked eate the SacrameÌ„t but yet dwell not in Christ Iohn 6. Iohn 6. Iohn 6. Math. 26. Mark 14. Iohn 12. God may do all thing but yet so as he caÌ„not denye hys truth neither restore virginitie c. Iohn 3. The naturall body of Christ is not present to our teeth in the Sacrament ArgumeÌ„ts to proue that Christes naturall body is not in the SacrameÌ„t of his body and bloud The ioyfull eatyng of Christ is â—y